Unexpected
by jwolf11209
Summary: Edward was standing stock still, frozen in his tracks by Jacob's thoughts. Jacob had imprinted on him? This was going to complicate things. SLASH, Mpreg, Jacob/Edward, Alice/Bella, Seth/Jasper
1. Chapter 1

Title: Unexpected

Author: jwolf11209

Pairings: Edward/Bella, Alice/Jasper, Edward/Jacob, Alice/Bella, Seth/Jasper

Rating: MA - The story starts off slow, but will heat up eventually.

Warning: M/M, F/F, mpreg, language

Disclaimer: The characters used in this story do not belong to me.

Chapter: 1

Summary: Edward was now standing stock still, frozen in his tracks by Jacob's thoughts. Jacob had _imprinted _on him? This was going to complicate things.

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Chapter 1

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Edward was at Bella's house, in her room. They had just recently returned from Italy and Edward was inwardly wondering at his stupidity. He should never have left Bella. He might bring more danger to her by being with her, but at least he could protect her when he was by her side. Forcing the Volturi to kill him would have done nothing but bring pain to his friends and family. And now Bella was in danger again, all because she had gone to Volterra to keep him from dying. She would have to become a vampire before the Volturi showed up in Forks, or she would die. And it was entirely Edward's fault.

It had occurred to Edward that the reasons for his actions lately had become less about his actual feelings and more about what people would expect him to feel. He didn't know what had happened, but he no longer had romantic feelings for Bella. He loved her, but he was no longer in love with her. Maybe he never had been; maybe he had just imagined he felt that way because Bella was the only person he had met whose thoughts he couldn't hear. He had been lonely for so long, always jealous of what everyone else in his family had. Maybe he had just wanted so much to be in love that he had made himself think that he was. It didn't matter anyhow, he had not yet found a good enough reason to cause Bella pain by leaving her again.

It was in the middle of his musings that he heard the knock on the door. It was a testament to how lost in his thoughts he had been that Edward had not known someone was coming. Usually he would have been able to tell Bella who was coming before they even made it to the door. Now that he was paying attention again, he could smell the werewolf.

Edward followed Bella down the stairs and went to sit in the kitchen while she continued to the door. A moment later he heard her saying, "You know I'd love to talk to you Jacob, but Edward's here right now."

He knew from listening to Jacob's thoughts that he wasn't going to let Edward's presence stop him from seeing Bella today. As always, Jacob's thoughts were quite clear.

_Just because the leech is over she thinks I won't want to talk to her?_

Edward continued to sit at the kitchen table and listen to their conversation. Eventually Bella allowed Jacob to come in and they appeared in the kitchen. He looked up when Jacob came in behind Bella and met his eyes…and froze. Edward couldn't even describe the look on Jacob's face right then. His eyes were wide, his face was flushed, and in the next moment he had turned and run right back out the door.

Without thinking, Edward rose from his seat and followed Jacob out of the house and into the woods. Jacob had not shifted and Edward could see him up ahead, running through the trees. Usually Jacob would have shifted before taking off into the woods, wouldn't he? He was completely confused until he registered the thoughts going through Jacob's head.

_This can't be happening…it's impossible, it has to be a mistake! I can't have imprinted on a _vampire_!!! The pack is going to kill me…what am I going to do??? Then again, Edward _is _really good looking. Wait…I did _not _just think that! I love Bella, not Edward!_

Edward was now standing stock still, frozen in his tracks by Jacob's thoughts. Jacob had _imprinted_ on him? This was going to complicate things.

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If you would like me to continue with this story, please let me know. I will probably keep writing anyhow, but input from readers will most likely keep me motivated. I already have an idea about where this story will go, but suggestions will be taken under consideration, so let me know what you would like to happen as well.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Unexpected

Author: jwolf11209

Pairings: Edward/Bella, Alice/Jasper, Edward/Jacob, Alice/Bella, Seth/Jasper

Rating: MA - The story starts off slow, but will heat up eventually.

Warning: M/M, F/F, mpreg, language

Disclaimer: The characters used in this story do not belong to me.

Chapter: 2

Summary: The wolf's scent was earthy and masculine…_delicious._ Edward was surprised by that thought, but continued to step closer until they were only a couple of feet away from each other.

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Chapter 2

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The trees were flying by in his peripheral vision, but Jacob took no notice of them. He could only focus on the chaos of his thoughts.

_This can't be happening…it's impossible, it has to be a mistake! I can't have imprinted on a _vampire_!!! The pack is going to kill me…what am I going to do??? Then again, Edward _is _really good looking. Wait…I did _not _just think that! I love Bella, not Edward!_

He was so confused. He'd never even been attracted to a guy before, so why would he have imprinted on one? Jacob knew there really wasn't anything he could do to change things. He would just have to figure out how to deal with it. But what was he going to tell Edward? As far as he knew, the vampire strongly disliked him. He supposed he would just have to say it outright and let things fall where they may.

Maybe Edward would kill him. Jacob knew he wouldn't even be able to fight back; he couldn't hurt Edward now that he had imprinted on him. He would do everything he could to make the vampire happy, because he now felt that he couldn't do things any other way. Jacob didn't know what he would do if Edward stayed with Bella. It would hurt, he knew. Just like he knew that it would hurt Bella if Jacob was chosen over her. He didn't want Bella to be hurt, but as he had said before, he couldn't change things now.

What if Edward told him to leave? Jacob would have to in order to make the vampire happy, but it would kill him to actually have to do that. Edward was the center of his universe, and for Jacob to live without the vampire in his life would be nearly impossible. Jake had heard Sam's thoughts about what imprinting was like. His heart and soul would always be pulling him towards Edward. If he was told to go away, each step in the opposite direction of Edward would be nearly impossible to take. Every part of him would be urging him to turn back around and find his soul mate.

It was only then that he noticed he was no longer alone; someone was following him. _Edward. _He could smell him now, though the scent was different from usual. No longer sickly sweet, Jacob let Edward's scent permeate his senses. It was wonderful, still sweet but no longer overwhelming.

He gave no thought to the fact that Edward could probably hear everything he was thinking. If he hadn't known about the imprint before, the vampire had surely figured it out by now.

Jacob didn't even care anymore. Edward would do what he wanted, no matter what Jacob thought about it. And Jacob was about to find out what Edward would do, because the vampire was now leaning against a tree about ten feet away.

xoxo

Edward hadn't figured out how to feel about Jacob's revelation just yet. He didn't understand how Jacob's feelings could have changed so drastically in such a short amount of time.

Edward actually didn't hate the wolf, no matter what anyone else thought. He had only acted like he did because he hadn't wanted Jacob anywhere near Bella. Young wolves could be dangerous, especially if they were upset. He hadn't wanted Bella to get hurt. But he knew that Jacob was usually a pretty easy going guy, and Edward liked that about him.

Edward had never given much thought to whom he was attracted to. Until Bella came along, he had never found anyone who sparked his interest. And the only reason he had noticed Bella in the first place was that he wasn't able to hear her thoughts. He probably would never have been intrigued by her otherwise.

Now that he was thinking about it, Edward realized that Jacob was a very attractive young man. He had grown quite a bit since Edward had first seen him. He was now much taller than Edward himself was and quite a bit broader as well. His Quileute heritage gave him a dark complexion with even darker hair and eyes. Altogether he made a beautiful picture.

Maybe he should give the wolf a chance. They could take some time to get to know each other, and then Edward would decide where their relationship would go. Edward had already heard Jacob's thoughts on the matter. The wolf would do everything he could to make Edward happy, and that would include being only Edward's friend if that was what he wanted.

Edward knew that this was going to hurt Bella, but he also knew that he would have eventually left her again anyhow. He wasn't in love with her anymore, so it wouldn't be fair to Bella for him to keep pretending he was. And Edward's family loved Bella, so he figured that they would help her to cope in any way that they could.

Jacob was probably waiting for a reaction to his thoughts. Edward had been leaning against a tree about ten feet away from the wolf for the last five minutes and had yet to say or do anything.

Edward looked up to find Jacobs eyes locked on his face. He met those warm brown eyes and despite what he already knew about imprinting, was surprised by what he found there. Several different emotions were running across Jacob's face. The wolf was worried about Edward's reaction to the imprinting, afraid that he would make Jacob leave, impatient for Edward to start speaking already so he would know what was going on.

He supposed it would be a lot easier to be in a relationship with Jacob than it had been with Bella. Edward would always know what he was feeling and thinking. His thoughts always came across loud and clear and his emotions were never hidden behind a blank mask. Edward would never again have to guess what was wrong before fixing the problem.

Edward took a few steps towards the wolf. He wanted to see if he was affected by Jacob in the same way as Jake was now affected by him. He had heard the wolf's thoughts about how his scent had changed, and was surprised to find that Jacob smelled better as well. The wolf's scent was earthy and masculine…_delicious._ Edward was surprised by that thought, but continued to step closer until they were only a couple of feet away from each other.

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Comments and suggestions are always welcome. My postings won't always be this close together, but I had already written most of this chapter, so I decided to put it up now. I hope you have enjoyed it so far!


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Unexpected

Author: jwolf11209

Pairings: Edward/Jacob, Alice/Bella, Seth/Jasper

Rating: MA - The story starts off slow, but will heat up eventually.

Warning: M/M, F/F, mpreg, language

Disclaimer: The characters used in this story do not belong to me.

Chapter: 3

Summary: "Jacob," Edward said, trying to get the wolf's attention. Jacob met his eyes, worry and panic fighting to be the dominant emotion on his face. "I'll think of something to tell Bella, so you don't even have to worry about it. Okay?"

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Chapter 3

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Edward was just standing there, not even two feet away. He didn't look angry, and he hadn't attacked Jacob…yet. Jacob didn't have any idea what the vampire was thinking, and it was unnerving him. Why wouldn't Edward just say something? Jacob felt like his heart was about to beat out of his chest. He would have started the conversation if there wasn't a lump in his throat the size of a boulder. And surely Edward knew this since he could hear everything Jacob was thinking. Obviously he was right, because Edward did start speaking then.

"That must be a pretty small boulder."

That was all he said, but for some reason it made Jacob relax just a little. He didn't know how to respond to that. He would have laughed at Edward's joke, but he wasn't quite _that _relaxed. He couldn't quite bring himself to speak yet either, so he decided to just think, and Edward would hear him.

_You heard about the imprint, didn't you?_

Edward gave a short nod, but didn't move otherwise. Jacob had hoped that that would have gotten Edward to speak some more, but obviously not. He tried again.

_You're not going to kill me, are you?_ Jacob actually was a little worried about that, even if Edward didn't look even remotely aggressive at the moment.

That made Edward's lips twitch, but he still didn't speak. Jacob guessed that meant no. This was getting extremely frustrating. What would get Edward to speak?

He imagined Edward unbuttoning his shirt slowly, his eyes never leaving Jacob's face. He thought of how that would make him feel. His whole body would heat up, even more so than usual. His heart would race, kind of like it was doing now, but for a much more appealing reason. His pants would become uncomfortably tight, and…

"Stop!" Edward was now staring off into the woods, probably because he wasn't comfortable looking at Jacob right at the moment. Jacob thought the vampire probably would have been flushed if it were possible.

"Jacob, I don't understand how you could already be having feelings so strong." Edward still wasn't looking at him, but at least he was speaking now.

_When a wolf imprints on someone, that person becomes the center of his or her universe. I don't know how much you heard when I was running, but it would hurt me both physically and emotionally if I was made to stay away from you._

"I don't plan to send you away, Jacob," Edward said, again meeting Jacob's eyes. "I think we should try to become friends, and see where things go from there. Is that okay with you?"

"Yes, Edward," Jacob was so relieved that Edward wasn't sending him away, or doing anything else to hurt him, that he spoke aloud without even realizing it. "whatever you want," he finished. He didn't know what else to say, so he just stood there, taking in Edward's beautiful features.

Jacob wondered how he had never noticed how alluring those amber eyes were. They held him captive, and made him want things that he had never even considered before. He was brought back to the fantasy that Edward had recently interrupted.

Jacob could see Edward's pale skin being slowly revealed. It sparkled in the sparse sunlight peeking through the trees. Jacob was already shirtless, as he usually was nowadays. Edward took a few steps closer, bringing him flush against Jacob's body. The cold skin against his felt good, bringing his body temperature to a more normal level. Jacob could feel himself becoming aroused again, which was probably why Edward interrupted…again.

Jacob snapped out of his daydream to find Edward a lot further away than he had been moments ago. Had he actually touched Edward? He didn't remember; he had been quite immersed in his fantasy. But the vampire actually looked a bit amused, so he figured he couldn't have done anything too terrible.

xoxo

Was this what it was like to be a teenager? Edward didn't remember ever being as preoccupied by sex as Jacob seemed to be. It might just be a side effect of the imprint, but Edward doubted it. He had seen the way the wolf used to look at Bella.

Jacob was worried that he had actually acted on some of his thoughts, but that hadn't happened. Edward had thought it would be wise to move in order to prevent that very thing. He should probably reassure the wolf, but Jacob looked kind of cute when he was worried, and Edward didn't want to get rid of that expression just yet.

Eventually Jacob seemed to come to the conclusion that Edward wasn't angry with him. Edward figured that now might be a good time to get some much needed conversations out of the way.

"When are you going to tell your pack, Jacob?" Edward asked. He wondered how the other wolves would handle this situation. Not well, certainly. The wolves _had_ been made to kill vampires, after all.

"I think Bella should be the first to know," Jacob said, eyeing Edward somewhat apprehensively. "I wouldn't be able to hide something like this from her. If you don't want her to know right away, I'll have to avoid seeing her for awhile."

The wolf made a good point. Jacob was extremely transparent when it came to hiding anything. Bella would know there was something going on, even if she didn't know exactly what it was…

"I think we should wait to tell anyone until we figure some things out. I need to know how far this relationship will go; friends or more than friends." Edward said, thinking. "How are you going to hide this from your pack if they can hear your thoughts?"

"I won't be able to phase for awhile. I'll just stay in my room and refuse to come out; they'll probably assume it's because you're back with Bella."

Edward didn't think that would work for very long, but for now it would have to do. "Will you be able to sneak out without anyone noticing?" Edward asked, still trying to figure this all out. "We'll have to meet somewhere so we can talk and get to know one another."

"I would have to wait until there's nobody around the house. Is there any way I can contact you when I'm able to get away?" Jacob asked, looking doubtful that they could find a way to meet.

Edward would have to show Jacob how good he was when it came to problem-solving. He didn't want the wolf to ever doubt him again. "I'll get you a cell phone and program my number into it. That way you can call me whenever you're able to get away from your house."

Jacob seemed satisfied with Edward's plan, so he started trying to think of places they could meet. He couldn't think of anywhere at the moment, but Edward was sure he would think of a place before long. Jacob's thoughts interrupted is musings.

_Oh my God…we just left Bella standing in her kitchen. How are we going to explain _that_??? Edward normally wouldn't have followed me out of the house, so she probably knows something is up. It's too soon to tell her the truth! And I can't even go back there, so Edward is going to have to explain everything…_

"Jacob," Edward said, trying to get the wolf's attention. Jacob met his eyes, worry and panic fighting to be the dominant emotion on his face. "I'll think of something to tell Bella, so you don't even have to worry about it. Okay?"

The wolf nodded, seeming to relax just a bit. It seemed odd to Edward that he could so easily calm Jacob down when he used to be the one to rile him up all the time. But he figured it was another perk that came along with the imprint.

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Comments and suggestions are always welcome. I hope you enjoyed the chapter…there will hopefully be many more to come!


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Unexpected

Author: jwolf11209

Pairings: Edward/Jacob, Alice/Bella, Seth/Jasper

Rating: MA - The story starts off slow, but will heat up eventually.

Warning: M/M, F/F, mpreg, language

Disclaimer: The characters used in this story do not belong to me.

Chapter: 4

Summary: Alice decided the only way she would get her answers would be to confront Edward. Charlie would have gotten off work by now, so Edward would probably be home soon. She headed out of the house to meet him.

Author's Note: Thanks for all the awesome reviews!!! I would have updated sooner, but I've been really busy since Thanksgiving. Hopefully the updates will be more frequent after this, but I can't be sure. Hope you enjoy the chapter!

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Chapter 4

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He walked slowly, trying to think of something to say to Bella. Despite his reassurances to Jacob, Edward had no idea how he was going to explain his reasons for chasing after the wolf. And he still hadn't come up with anything by the time he reached Bella's house. Which is when he smelled something that only increased his need to see Bella.

Victoria had been near her house, and recently. He and Jacob both should have smelled her long before now, but apparently they both had been too preoccupied to notice. On the upside, he had a valid excuse for running after Jacob now…

xoxo

It was confusing to say the least. Bella had no idea why Edward had chased after Jake. For that matter, she didn't know why Jake had run off in the first place. He hadn't even had time to get angry before he left, so she didn't think Jacob and Edward could be fighting. They hadn't even spoken to each other.

_What the hell is going on???_

She sat at the kitchen table, and decided to wait for someone to come back and explain. But it was turning out to be a long wait, so Bella got up and started straightening up the kitchen.

She wondered how different things would be, now that Edward was back. Charlie was upset that she was letting him back into her life at all. He was afraid she would be hurt again. And Bella was grounded for running off for three days and leaving nothing but a note that didn't explain where she was going. She had only said that she would be with Alice and that Edward was in trouble. She _deserved _to be grounded, and she knew it.

Edward wasn't even supposed to be in the house, but he had snuck in through the window last night and hadn't left since. Bella was having a hard time making herself believe that he was actually back, so it was probably good that he hadn't left until recently.

But it didn't actually seem as if he _was_ back, at least not completely. He wasn't acting the same as he had before he left Forks. He had kissed her since his return, but it had been nothing like the kisses they used to share. He had told her he loved her, but there was no passion behind his words. Maybe it was just her imagination, but somehow she didn't think so this time. Bella told herself it was because he had been away from her so long, that he was just getting used to being with her again. But she didn't know if she believed it.

xoxo

Edward came in through Bella's bedroom window, just so he could say he had been obeying Charlie's rule. The one where Charlie had specifically said Edward was never to walk through his door again.

He walked down the stairs to the kitchen, where he knew Bella still was. He went silently to the table and sat down. Bella hadn't noticed him, so he watched her for a few minutes, thinking about what exactly he would say when asked about his hasty exit.

Bella finally finished with the stove and turned around, probably to find something else to start scrubbing. She jumped and gasped when she saw Edward, clutching at her chest. "Edward! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

Edward smirked a little and didn't say anything. He knew Bella wasn't finished talking. "Where the hell did you go? You didn't hurt Jacob, did you? Why did _he_ run off like that anyways? Why did you follow him?" It seemed that Bella had finally run out of steam after that. She sat across the table from Edward and looked at him expectantly.

"I followed Jacob into the woods, and no, I didn't hurt him. Apparently he was paying more attention to his surroundings than I was, because he smelled another vampire besides myself near here. I followed him to make sure that she wasn't still nearby, and to see if I could find her. You _do _know who it is I am speaking of, don't you?"

"_Victoria…_" Bella looked afraid, which was good. It meant that she probably wouldn't do anything stupid, like wandering around in the woods by herself. The only time Edward could see Bella deliberately putting herself in danger would be to protect Charlie, so hopefully it would not come to that.

Soon after, Edward heard Charlie coming and had to take his leave. He pecked a kiss on Bella's cheek and escaped through the back door.

Edward had run to Bella's house so that there would be no way for Charlie to discover his presence. Charlie would have been able to identify any of the Cullen cars had they been parked on his street…_none_ of them were inconspicuous.

It didn't take Edward long to run through the woods to his home. He was quite fast, and he needed to tell his family about Victoria right away. They would help him keep Bella safe.

xoxo

Why would Edward's future have suddenly disappeared? There were only two things Alice could think of that might have caused it, and neither of them seemed very likely.

She didn't think Edward would try again to end his own life. He now knew how much pain he had caused everyone by going to the Volturi. There was one option gone.

His life must somehow become intertwined with one or more of the wolves. And he would have to be very close to one of them in order for his future to completely disappear. She could still _see_ Bella's future, and she was friends with Jacob, so Edward must somehow have become involved with one of the wolves. As in he was going to have, or already had, a _relationship_ with someone other than Bella.

This must have happened recently, since he had only recently become absent from her visions. And since he was at Bella's house, it must be Jacob that he was becoming involved with. He was the only wolf Alice knew of that visited Bella at her home.

Why would Edward have suddenly become involved with Jacob? It didn't make sense. Edward had never liked the young wolf, had always tried to keep him away from Bella. How had their relationship changed so suddenly?

Alice decided the only way she would get her answers would be to confront Edward. Charlie would have gotten off work by now, so Edward would probably be home soon. She headed out of the house to meet him.

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Comments and suggestions are always welcome. I hope you enjoyed the chapter…there will hopefully be many more to come!


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Unexpected

Author: jwolf11209

Pairings: Edward/Jacob, Alice/Bella, Seth/Jasper

Rating: MA - The story starts off slow, but will heat up eventually.

Warning: M/M, F/F, mpreg, language

Disclaimer: The characters used in this story do not belong to me.

Chapter: 5

Summary: _The vampire caught Jacob as he slumped, suddenly boneless, and kissed him gently on the mouth once more._

_

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_

Chapter 5

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She stood at the edge of the forest, waiting for her brother. Now that she was concentrating on him, she realized that she _could_ sometimes _see_ his future. That must mean that he hadn't completely made up his mind about his potential relationship with Jacob.

She also noticed that although she could sometimes see flashes of Edward's future, that future no longer included a relationship with Bella. It would seem that her brother's feelings towards Bella had changed, but she didn't think that had anything to do with the wolf.

Now she was even more confused. Had he already ended his relationship with Bella, or was he just contemplating it? She assumed the latter, since Bella surely would have informed her had it been the former. Alice decided to check on her friend's future, just in case.

_Bella and Edward's hands were joined as they ran together through the forest. Bella was no longer human, her eyes burning red and the rest of her too perfect to be human. They laughed as they ran, their love for each other obvious with one look at their faces…_

That confirmed her suspicions. Bella was not aware that Edward's feelings for her had changed. Or maybe she was, and it was just wishful thinking on her part. There was really no way for Alice to know unless she asked Bella, which she would not do.

xoxo

He lay on his bed, thinking of everything that had just happened. He knew he should be upset about imprinting on Edward, but he couldn't even imagine feeling that way. Jacob let his imagination run wild, knowing the vampire wasn't here to stop him this time.

_Edward let the shirt slide down his arms and onto the ground, his chest still pressed against Jacob's. It felt so good to be this close to the vampire, Jacob's skin tingled everywhere they touched. _

_Jake brought his hands up to Edward's back and caressed the smooth skin he found there. The vampire shuddered, bringing a smile to Jacob's face. He continued to touch all the smooth, pale skin that was available to him, feeling the muscles jumping under that skin._

_Suddenly Edward grabbed Jake's shoulders and rose up to press their lips together. The kiss was soft and sweet, but it still made Jacob's blood boil, sending heat straight to his groin. Edward moved one of his hands from Jake's shoulder, making a cool path downward to his chest, where the vampire paused to play with one of the nipples there. Pinching that nipple made Jacob's cock flex, which Edward must have felt, because he did it again. The hand continued downward after that, and Jake hoped that its destination would be his aching erection._

Jake was breathing heavily, his eyes closed, totally engrossed in his daydream. His hand traveled the same path that Edward's was in his head, moving down his stomach toward his groin. Jacob finally reached his swollen flesh, trapped beneath the baggy cutoffs that were the only thing he was wearing.

_Edward palmed the turgid erection, still gently caressing Jake's lips with his own, not moving to deepen the kiss. Jake didn't try to deepen it either, wanting Edward to have complete control over his body._

_The vampire suddenly released his hold on Jacob's cock, and he made a sound in protest. But Edward only let go long enough to push Jacob's shorts down, and his hand was back moments later. The feeling of Edward's hand on his flesh with nothing in between was almost enough to make Jacob come, but he held off, wanting to savor it._

_Edward moved his hand slowly, but firmly, up and down Jake's erection. It normally wouldn't be enough to make him come, but this was Edward touching him, and he knew he wouldn't be able to last much longer._

_Especially when Edward suddenly deepened their kiss, pushing his tongue into Jacob's mouth. At the same time his hand started moving faster, bringing Jacob closer to the edge. He could feel a tingle at the base of his spine, signaling his closeness to release. And then Edward brought his other hand down to stroke just behind Jacob's balls, and that was it._

_Jacob threw his head back as every muscle in his body tightened and then contracted with his release. Jake cried out, calling Edward's name as his body was flooded with pleasure. The strength of his orgasm made his vision black out around the edges. Edward slowed his hand, but kept pumping until the contractions stopped, bringing Jacob down from the wonderful orgasm._

_The vampire caught Jacob as he slumped, suddenly boneless, and kissed him gently on the mouth once more._

Jacob came back to himself sweating, panting, and covered in semen. He figured nobody had come near the house while he was having his little fantasy, because if they had they surely would have heard him calling Edward's name as he came. And nobody had busted down his door, so it was unlikely that anyone had heard him.

He reached underneath his bed and grabbed a small cloth that he kept there, using it to wipe the stickiness from his chest and stomach. He was exhausted after the intensity of his release, so Jacob closed his eyes to take a nap, hoping he would dream of Edward.

xoxo

He slowed as he neared his home and wasn't surprised to see Alice waiting for him near the edge of the forest. She apparently already knew some of what was going on, but had not yet figured out everything. He hadn't expected her to. Alice knew nothing about imprinting, which was the main reason for her confusion.

Once he made it to her side, Edward signaled for her to follow him away from their house. He didn't want anyone else to hear about this just yet. He would explain things to Alice first, so that she could help him find a way to do the same for the rest of his family.

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Feel free to leave comments and/or suggestions, I always appreciate them. I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	6. Chapter 6

Title: Unexpected

Author: jwolf11209

Pairings: Edward/Jacob, Alice/Bella, Seth/Jasper

Rating: MA - The story starts off slow, but will heat up eventually.

Warning: M/M, F/F, mpreg, language

Disclaimer: The characters used in this story do not belong to me.

Chapter: 6

Summary: Her face was completely blank. This wasn't at all what Edward had expected from Bella when she finally found out about Jacob's imprinting.

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Chapter 6

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They were finally going to tell Bella. It had only been a week since Jacob had imprinted, but it seemed like it had been much longer than that to him.

Edward had gotten him the cell phone, as promised. Jacob had wondered how the vampire was going to get it to him, but as it turned out, Edward was very resourceful. He had apparently paid someone at the store to program the phone with Edward's number, write down basic instructions on how to use it, put everything in a blank box, and then deliver it to Jacob's school.

Jacob had been surprised when he was called to the office, and even more surprised to be given a small package with nothing but his name on it. Although he hadn't known what it was, he had guessed who it was from.

To avoid being questioned about it, Jacob had stuck the package in his book bag and kept it there until he was in his room at home.

Edward had been smart enough not to touch any part of the cell phone or package himself, so none of the other wolves would suspect anything. Jacob was thankful that the vampire had thought of that.

Since then he had been spending as much of his time with Edward as he could. His pack still did not know what was going on. Jacob refused to phase, and for once Sam was letting him be. The pack probably figured it had something to do with Edward's return, which was true. But they had no idea of the true nature of Jacob's feelings for the vampire.

They would find out soon enough, though. Jacob had only been hiding it from them for so long because he had wanted Bella to be the first person he told, whether or not it was intentional. As soon as Jacob phased, his pack members who were also phased at the time would be able to see what had happened with Edward. He was sure they would then make sure the rest of the pack knew right away.

Jacob knew his pack would be upset that he had imprinted on one of the Cullen's, but he really didn't think there was anything they could do about it.

He was sure the elders would be consulted on this matter, but if Jacob was right in his thinking, the treaty between his people and the Cullen family would soon be void. As far as Jacob was concerned, he would not have imprinted on the vampire unless there was a very good reason for it; he would just have to make his family see that.

Jacob and Edward had already discussed it. If Jacob's pack wouldn't accept his imprinting, he would be welcome to stay with Edward's family.

The little pixie-like one, Alice he thought her name was, had _seen _Edward's future disappear and had guessed what that meant. Alice was apparently unable to _see _any of the wolves, probably because wolves were made to kill vampires, and it would have been unfair for the vampires to have such a large advantage. But Alice had figured that since she could no longer _see_ Edward's future, it must mean that he would become very close to one of the wolves.

Alice had confronted Edward, and he had decided to let his family know what was going on.

The Cullen's seemed to take it well, with the exception of the blonde bitch. Jacob couldn't remember her name, but apparently she had thrown a fit. The rest knew that Edward had made up his mind to try out a relationship with Jacob, and as long as Edward was happy they would support his decision. The Cullen's, again with the exception of the blonde, had not been happy about Bella being left behind, but there was nothing anyone could do about it, so they had told Edward that they would help her as best they could.

Jacob too felt bad that they would hurt Bella, but an imprint could not be helped. He hadn't meant for it to happen, and now he couldn't even say that he would change it if he could. It may not have been long, but Jacob knew he now loved Edward. The vampire was handling this situation much more easily than Jacob had expected. He supposed that had something to do with the fact that Edward had realized, even before coming back from Italy, that he was not in love with Bella.

Edward had explained everything to him, and he could understand where Edward was coming from. It must have been hard for the vampire to go all those years watching his family members find love, and to have nobody for himself. It wasn't hard to imagine Edward being so lonely that when a new person showed up at his school, one who was unique in that Edward could not hear her thoughts, that he might imagine himself in love with her.

Jacob left his house, heading for the trees. He would meet Edward in the forest, and then they would head to Bella's house together.

xoxo

She stood in her doorway, confused. Why were Edward and Jacob here…_together_? They were both standing in front of her, closer to each other than she had ever seen them.

Edward seemed calm, but she knew it was easy for him to conceal any emotion that he didn't want her to see. Jacob, however, was fidgeting. He looked worried, and nervous, and sad all at the same time. He wasn't bitter or angry, which were his usual emotions when Edward was anywhere near him.

She invited them both in and then headed for the living room. They both followed, no further apart than they had been before. Something was going on, but Bella had no idea what it was. Were Edward and Jacob friends now? Maybe, but that didn't explain why Jacob looked so uncomfortable.

Bella settled herself on a chair, watching as Edward took a seat on the couch. Jacob looked around, and she guessed he couldn't decide where he should sit, until Edward motioned toward the spot next to his. Jacob sat next to Edward, and then there was silence.

Eventually Bella broke it. "What's going on?"

Edward turned toward Jacob, meeting his eyes, and then turned back to face Bella, mask still in place. Jacob looked down and took a deep breath, then looked up to meet Bella's eyes as he let it out. Bella could see the warring emotions in his eyes.

"I've imprinted," he finally said, but that didn't explain why he looked so upset. Shouldn't he be happy? Jacob had found the other half of his soul, so he definitely shouldn't look so sad. But then he continued, and she understood why he was so nervous. "I've imprinted on Edward."

Bella stared at him, and then forced her face to become blank, not wanting them to see any of her emotions while she was still so confused.

Edward started speaking then, but Bella couldn't take her eyes off Jacob. "Bella, I know we should have told you sooner, but when it happened, I wasn't sure it would have this big an effect on you. But my feelings for Jacob have changed significantly, as have my feelings for you."

She finally faced Edward again. His mask was gone now, and she could see how this upset him. She knew neither of them would want to hurt her, she could see that in their expressions.

"We both still love you, Bella," Edward continued, earnestly. "just in a different way." She could see that he was telling the truth, and when she looked to Jacob he was nodding his agreement.

Bella needed some time alone, to think about everything that was happening.

xoxo

Her face was completely blank. This wasn't at all what Edward had expected from Bella when she finally found out about Jacob's imprinting.

Jacob had been avoiding her lately; not hard to do since he lived in La Push. And Edward had been trying to act as normally as he could manage.

She spoke then, and her voice was as devoid of emotion as her face still was. "I need to be alone for awhile, to think. I'll call you when I figure things out." And then she walked away, up the stairs and presumably to her bedroom.

Edward left Bella's house then, and he knew Jacob was following. He needed some time to think, but had no objection to Jacob keeping him company as long as he was quiet. Jacob seemed to be lost in his own thoughts, though, so Edward decided to just let him be.

He had heard about Bella's reaction to his leaving the first time, and had been expecting something close to the same this time. But this emotionless Bella…he didn't know what to expect from her now. Would she never want to see him again? He didn't think Bella would want him to leave Forks again, but he couldn't be sure about that since she would have to witness his and Jacob's relationship.

He decided he would just have to wait and see what she said when she was ready to talk to them both again.

xoxo

This was so unexpected. Bella would never have thought that Jacob would imprint on _Edward_. She had thought he might imprint on _her_, but Edward? No way would she have ever seen _that_ coming!

Jacob had never liked Edward. Actually, that was a major understatement. Jacob had _hated_ Edward! She supposed that was why Jacob hadn't come to see her lately. He had never been very good at hiding his feelings, and she would have been able to tell that something was different, even if she didn't know yet what it was.

Bella could feel the hole in her chest opening up again, but she was used to it by now. She had survived Edward leaving her the first time; she would find a way to do it again. Charlie needed her, and she wouldn't leave him all alone.

She knew it would hurt to see them together, but Bella loved both Edward and Jacob. She wanted them to be happy, whether or not she was a part of their happiness.

It was strange for Bella to think that there had recently been two people in love with her, a vampire and a werewolf, and now there were none. At least nobody was leaving town this time. Bella was sure that the other Cullen's would try to help keep her mind off things.

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Let me know what you think…hope you liked it!


	7. Chapter 7

Title: Unexpected

Author: jwolf11209

Pairings: Edward/Jacob, Alice/Bella, Seth/Jasper

Rating: MA - The story starts off slow, but will heat up eventually.

Warning: M/M, F/F, mpreg, language

Disclaimer: The characters used in this story do not belong to me.

Chapter: 7

Summary: The vampires were their enemies, the reason that they all had become wolves in the first place. So it didn't make sense that one of the _leeches _had been chosen to be Jacob's mate.

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Chapter 7

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Bella knew now, but Jake didn't understand her lack of reaction. When Edward had left her the first time, she had tried to chase him into the woods. Sam had found her curled up on the ground, unresponsive.

Jacob was glad that hadn't happened again, but he didn't think an emotionless Bella was very good either. He had never seen her like that.

He walked through the woods behind Edward, not really paying attention to where they were going. Jacob had to tell his pack now that Bella knew; he couldn't avoid it any longer. He looked to Edward, wondering what the vampire would think about that.

"Go to them, Jacob. Tell them all at the same time, face to face, so that you won't have to repeat yourself. If they react badly," and judging by Edward's face, he thought they would… "come to my house, and my family will welcome you."

Jake moved toward Edward, needing some of the vampire's strength before he left. Edward opened his arms and Jacob stepped into them, soaking up the comfort that was offered. After a few moments he finally released the vampire, and watched as he disappeared into the trees.

Jacob walked in the direction of La Push, not knowing where he would find his pack. He couldn't shift before telling them about the imprint, so he would just have to walk around until he found someone.

He made it to the beach, and found Quil sitting and staring into the water. The other boy looked surprised when he noticed Jacob, but he supposed that was understandable. Jake hadn't really spoken to any of his pack for a week, nor had he left his home other than to see Edward.

"I need to speak with the pack, but I can't shift yet," Jacob told the other boy. "Will you call a meeting for me?"

"Sure, sure," Quil said, looking confused. But he headed into the woods, and Jacob followed close behind. Once they were concealed by the trees, Quil stripped and shifted. He then sent up a howl, letting their pack know that they should meet him.

It wasn't long before members of the pack started showing up, and they all looked at Jacob curiously. They were probably wondering why he wasn't able to shift himself, since they had most likely heard as much from Quil.

Leah was the last to get there, probably just to show her displeasure at being pulled away from whatever she had been doing.

When everyone was staring expectantly at Jacob, he started speaking. He didn't ask them to shift; he didn't want to see their human faces fill with disgust once he told them.

"I've imprinted," he started, just as he had at Bella's house. Some of the pack tilted their heads, curious. Leah looked pissed off, but that was normal for her. Seth could barely sit still, he was so excited. "You're not going to like the rest of what I have to say."

Now they just looked confused. Part of him wondered what they were thinking, but he wasn't curious enough to shift and find out. He continued, reluctantly. "I've imprinted on Edward Cullen." They growled at the name, and Jacob took a few steps back.

Sam shifted then, and Jake didn't like the look on his face. "You're wrong, Jacob. You can't have imprinted on a _leech_," Sam spat, glowering at him. Most of others looked as if they agreed, which wasn't really all that surprising.

Jacob made sure he appeared calm, even though the wolves could surely smell his anxiety. "Do you want to see for yourself what happened?" Jacob asked, knowing that he could at least make his pack see the truth in his confession.

Sam changed back to his wolf form, and Jacob assumed that meant that he should shift as well. He did, and sat as he felt all of his pack members sifting through his mind, seeing everything that had happened this past week.

Once they were finished, before they could say anything, Jacob spoke through their link. _You know now that I'm not wrong about this, and I know you don't like it. I'm going to stay with the Cullen's while you figure out what you're going to do about it. Let me know what you decide._

With that Jacob left, heading back toward Edward. He had seen and felt his pack's reaction to his imprinting. Most of them were angry, but hopefully they would get over it with time. He felt them leaving his mind, one by one. Probably so they could discuss him without letting him know what they said.

Edward had probably already known Jacob would end up staying at his house. Jake had planned to go there after telling his pack, no matter their reaction.

xoxo

He shifted to his human form as he watched Jacob walk away. As impossible as it seemed, Jacob had definitely imprinted on the vampire. Sam knew what it felt like to imprint, so he couldn't deny that Jacob was right about this. But he wanted to. He didn't understand how this could have happened. The vampires were their enemies, the reason that they all had become wolves in the first place. So it didn't make sense that one of the _leeches _had been chosen to be Jacob's mate.

He motioned for the rest of the pack to take their human forms as well. They needed to have a discussion about this, and he didn't want Jacob to hear it.

Most of the group looked as unhappy as he felt, some even more so. But there were others who looked like they would take Jacob's side, even if it was only because they were his friends.

"I want you all to stay away from Jacob for now. I will contact the elders and see what they have to say about all this, but I want to know what you think as well."

He listened as his pack voiced their thoughts on the matter. As he had guessed, most of them were angry, but others seemed to think that there must be a reason for Jacob to have imprinted on the leech.

Inwardly, Sam agreed, but he didn't want to believe it.

He wouldn't keep Jacob from going to the leech, but only because he knew it would hurt for him to stay away. As much as Sam hated this situation, he couldn't deliberately cause one of his pack members pain. At least not that kind of pain. Sam knew they had already hurt Jacob by reacting so badly to something he couldn't control.

xoxo

He sat in the forest, leaning against one of the many trees there. He was waiting for Jacob, who he knew would be coming to stay with him, regardless of the wolf pack's reaction to Jacob's announcement.

Jacob had been thinking about how to handle his pack since he had discovered Edward was his imprint. Edward knew the young wolf had decided it would be a good idea to stay away from La Push while his pack digested the situation.

Edward didn't think the wolves would seriously hurt a member of their own pack, but he couldn't be sure. He was quite certain they would be angry that Jacob had imprinted on a vampire, _their enemy_, whether or not there was a reason for it. Which there probably was…they just hadn't figured out what that reason was yet.

If they _did _hurt Jacob, they would regret it. Edward would break the treaty without even thinking about it if Jake came back to him broken.

Edward didn't really know yet what his feelings were for the young wolf. He was attracted to him, certainly. And he found himself becoming more protective of Jacob with each passing day. But Edward would have to get to know him a bit more before their relationship became anything more than friendship.

He knew Jacob's feelings for him had progressed rapidly, but the wolf hadn't pressured him to move their relationship to the next level, and Edward didn't think he would. Jacob seemed to still be afraid of rejection, so he would most likely wait for Edward to make the first move when it came to certain things. Especially physical things.

Edward didn't object to holding Jacob, but he wasn't yet ready for anything beyond that. He actually quite enjoyed being wrapped in Jacob's big, strong arms. It was the closest he had come to feeling warm since he had become a vampire.

He loved that he could hug Jacob without having to be afraid of crushing him. And that he could hold him close without being tempted to drink his blood. It was such a relief to know that Jacob could hold his own in a fight, that he could protect himself if necessary. But even so, Edward knew that he would do everything he could to keep Jacob safe.

He finally heard Jacob coming, and he didn't seem to be hurt at all. This was confirmed when Jacob spotted him and increased his already considerable speed.

Edward rose from his seated position, moving away from the tree. Jacob needed comfort, and he probably wouldn't even bother to shift before seeking it. Again, he was correct. Jacob leaped at him as soon as he was near enough, knocking Edward to the ground with his huge, furry body.

Edward turned onto his side and held the wolf from behind. Jacob nuzzled back into his chest, happy to be in Edward's arms again.

xoxo

She flitted around the house, trying to make sure they had everything Edward's guest would need. Alice didn't really know much about the wolves, since she couldn't _see_ them, and she was excited to learn more about them.

She had made sure the fridge was filled with different kinds of food, knowing that the wolf would probably eat a lot. She had also made up the new king-sized bed in Edward's room. Her brother had let her pick out all of the bedding; he knew how good her taste was.

Edward had said that Jacob's family didn't have a lot of money, and that the wolf had very few articles of clothing. So Alice had taken it upon herself to do a little shopping. It was no hardship, she_ loved_ shopping.

She had bought the wolf an entire wardrobe, not really caring if he would need so many clothes. He probably wouldn't, since her brother had mentioned that Jacob spent most of his time wearing only a pair of raggedy cutoffs. Alice made a face.

No one in _her _family was going to leave the house looking like a homeless person. Unless of course he was only going outside to run around as a wolf. Then she didn't really care if he wore good clothes, as they would just get dirty anyhow.

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What did you think? Comments/suggestions? Hope you liked it!


	8. Chapter 8

Title: Unexpected

Author: jwolf11209

Pairings: Edward/Jacob, Alice/Bella, Seth/Jasper

Rating: MA - The story starts off slow, but will heat up eventually.

Warning: M/M, F/F, mpreg, language

Disclaimer: The characters used in this story do not belong to me.

Chapter: 8

Summary: He was nervous. Edward had said his family would welcome him, but it was hard to believe that the vampires would just accept him into their home.

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Chapter 8

* * *

He was nervous. Edward had said his family would welcome him, but it was hard to believe that the vampires would just accept him into their home. He was one of the very creatures created to destroy their kind, so it didn't make sense to him that they could be so much more accepting than his pack had been. The maudlin thoughts Jacob had been battling with for the last week came creeping back into his mind.

_Why won't my family accept me? The Cullen's are willing to take me into their home, simply because Edward wants to pursue a relationship with me. Well, a friendship at least._ Maybe _they'll get over it with time, but what if they don't? Will I be banished from the pack? Will they allow me to visit my father again, if he wants to see me? Will they attack the vampires, and me as well?_

If vampires were such monsters, then how had they created such an understanding family? Why did they deny their very nature by feeding on animals instead of humans? Jacob didn't know their exact reasons, but he didn't need to. It was the fact that they put so much effort into keeping humans safe that made Jacob admire them.

He knew that the pack's anger wasn't directed at him, but at his situation. But it didn't seem that way. He couldn't help the way he felt, and hearing his pack's derogatory thoughts about Edward had hurt him.

Jacob felt a hand on his arm, and turned to see Edward standing close beside him. He had been there the whole time, of course, but Jacob had been too caught up in his thoughts to pay much attention to him.

"Don't think about it now, Jacob," Edward told him, holding his eyes. "The only thing you can do is wait and see. Worrying isn't going to do anything but bring you pain, because you are imagining only bad outcomes."

Jacob saw the truth in those words, but it couldn't stop him from being afraid.

He followed Edward, who was heading toward the his home. It was a beautiful house, Jacob thought. It sat in the middle of what looked like a meadow, which was surrounded by trees. The house itself was white, faded, and had a deep porch that wrapped around the first story. The house looked old, but well taken care of.

The went up the steps of the porch and Edward walked right in, holding the door for him. Jacob cautiously stepped over the threshold, looking around.

And then all he could think was that the house was very…white. Everything from floor to ceiling was varying shades of white. This was the kind of house that made him feel too dirty to sit down, for fear of messing something up.

The first floor was mostly one wide space, making it look open and large. The entire back wall was made of glass, and beyond it Jacob could see a river, right near the edge of the forest.

To his left was a raised portion of the floor, where all the Cullen's were standing beside the grand piano that sat there. They all had welcoming smiles for him, save for one.

He almost laughed when he saw the blonde bitch, standing there and scowling at him. The expression looked permanently etched into her face, as if she weren't capable of any others. What the hell did the big guy see in her? She may be hot, but nothing could make Jacob put up with a girl like _that_.

The little dark-haired girl flitted to his side and threw her arms around him. And he did laugh as she backed away, her nose wrinkled in distaste. Apparently he still smelled bad to everyone besides Edward.

xoxo

She sat in her bedroom, staring off into space. Bella hadn't yet told Charlie that Edward had once again broken up with her. He would probably want her to stay away from the entire Cullen family if she did.

But she _wouldn't_ stay away from them. They were the only friends she had that would be able to help her through this. It would probably be awhile before she could bring herself to visit their house, but Alice would come visit her, and she would see all of the Cullen _kids_ at school, including Edward.

She didn't know how she was going to face Edward. Yes, she wanted him to be happy, but she wasn't ready to talk to him or Jacob yet.

Bella wondered if she would ever again find someone who made her feel the way Edward did. She doubted it. Where was she going to find someone as inhumanly beautiful, as maddeningly protective, as thrillingly fast and strong as Edward?

xoxo

He let his family finish exchanging greetings, and then discreetly motioned for them to leave the room. They all scattered, telling Jacob that they would see him later. Jacob seemed amused that Rosalie didn't seem able to stop scowling at him. Even more so when she growled, "Stupid mutt!" as she left the room.

Edward laid his hand on Jacob's forearm, gaining the wolf's attention. "Let's skip the rest of the tour for now," Edward said, noticing how worn out Jake looked. "I'll show you up to my room, and you can rest for awhile, okay?"

He didn't wait for the wolf to answer before heading up the staircase, but Jacob didn't object. The younger boy was still dwelling on his pack's rejection, and he was exhausted after spending so much of the day telling his friends and family things that they didn't want to know.

Edward couldn't help but feel grateful that his family was so accepting of his actions. They didn't like what he was doing to Bella, but they still supported him because all they wanted was to see him happy. He could only hope that Jacob's pack would eventually show their support as well.

He led Jacob to the third floor, down the paneled hallway to the last door. Once inside, Jacob didn't even take the time to look around. He just threw himself onto the bed, facedown. He turned his head to face Edward, looking up at him pleadingly.

"Will you lay with me?" he asked, and Edward couldn't deny him that. Pretty much the only contact Edward permitted between them was hugging or snuggling, so when Jacob asked for it, Edward felt obligated to give it to him.

Besides, Edward found that he liked being so close to the wolf. Jacob was always so warm, and the wolf was always more relaxed when Edward was touching him in some way. It made Edward feel good, that he could calm the wolf and decrease his tension.

Edward grabbed the comforter and sheets, waiting for Jacob to lift his body in order to pull them down. He then crawled into the bed behind the wolf and lay down, pulling the blankets over them. Jacob lay on his left side, facing the wall. Edward felt the tension draining out of the wolf as he molded his body to Jacob's back and threw his arm around him, pulling him close.

Jacob sighed and closed his eyes, snuggling back into Edward's body. The wolf was asleep in no time, snoring softly. Edward stayed still, just listening to Jacob's quiet noises as he slept. He was curious to know what the wolf would dream about, as he had never seen him sleep. He soon found out.

_Jacob moaned as his naked body was caressed. He could feel Edward spooning him from behind, equally bare. The vampire's rigid erection was rubbing up and down the cleft of his ass, making Jacob tremble. He wanted that cock _in _his ass._

Edward wasn't exactly surprised when he realized what kind of dream Jacob was having. He didn't move, though, wanting to know how the dream would affect him. If it would arouse him, make him want to do the things that Jacob dreamed of.

_Edward must have heard his thought, because in the next moment the vampire was flicking open a bottle of lube, coating his long, graceful fingers. Jacob couldn't help but cry out as one of those fingers found his entrance, rubbing it lightly. He felt himself loosening, allowing that finger entrance to his most private place. It felt so good, having Edward inside him, even if it was only the vampire's finger. The coolness of the digit only increased the sensation for Jacob, contrasting so nicely with his overly hot skin._

_Edward added another finger, stretching him carefully. The vampire moved his fingers in and out, mimicking what Jacob wanted him to do with his cock. And then his back arched as Edward found some magical place inside him. He yelled Edward's name, wanting him to do that again. And he did, but then there was another finger inside him, making his passage burn._

_He breathed deeply, trying to relax around the fingers inside him, wanting to be ready for Edward. And finally he couldn't take it anymore. "Fuck me, Edward," he begged, wanting his love inside him already!_

_He cried out when the fingers left him, mourning the loss. But then he felt the blunt tip of Edward's erection pressing against his hole, and he reached back for Edward's hip, wanting that cock inside him _now_!_

_And then he felt the head of Edward's shaft force its way through his entrance. The vampire didn't stop until he was completely buried within Jacob, and then he paused, giving him time to adjust to the invasion._

_The coolness of Edward's skin soothed his insides while at the same time increasing the sensations and pleasure moving through Jacob's body._

_He felt Edward's lips on his neck and back, leaving small kisses and nips wherever he could reach. Jacob turned his head toward the vampire, wanting a kiss. Edward obliged him, meeting his lips gently at first, then pushing his tongue in just as he started thrusting._

_The feel of Edward's cock moving inside him was heaven, especially when the vampire found his sweet spot. Jacob saw spots as Edward continued hitting that spot with every thrust, and even more so when the vampire reached down to fondle Jacob's cock._

_It only took a few strokes of Edward's hand before Jacob was coming, screaming Edward's name as he did. And then Edward was coming too, and Jacob could feel the vampire's juices coating his insides with every spurt._

Edward carefully backed away from Jacob, not wanting to wake the still sleeping wolf. He couldn't believe how aroused he was. He had to get away from Jacob before he did something that he wasn't ready for.

Edward hurried out of the room, closing the door softly behind him.

xoxo

He woke up panting, covered in sweat and cum, wishing that hadn't been only a dream. But he knew Edward was no longer in the room with him. The vampire had probably left when Jacob started having wet dreams about him.

He hoped that Edward wasn't disgusted by the thoughts and dreams Jacob had about him. That would be beyond devastating.

* * *

Thanks for reading, let me know what you thought of the chapter!


	9. Chapter 9

Title: Unexpected

Author: jwolf11209

Pairings: Edward/Jacob, Alice/Bella, Seth/Jasper

Rating: MA - The story starts off slow, but will heat up eventually.

Warning: M/M, F/F, mpreg, language

Disclaimer: The characters used in this story do not belong to me.

Chapter: 9

Summary: The flush deepened, embarrassment mixed with arousal. Just thinking of the dream got Jacob all worked up again. It did the same to Edward, though it seemed that Jacob was too embarrassed to notice.

* * *

Chapter 9

* * *

He needed to find some place where he could be alone for awhile. Jacob had gotten him so worked up, he wouldn't be able go near him until his body was under control again. And he would have to bring himself off in order for that to happen any time soon.

Edward left the house, heading for the forest. At least in there he would be able to have some privacy. Living in a house full of vampires didn't afford anyone a whole lot of alone time. They could hear each other easily from anywhere in the house.

He kept walking until he knew there was nobody near enough to hear him, then sat on the ground, leaning against a tree. He couldn't help but be amused when he thought of Jacob's dream. Edward had expected the dream to skip all the preparation and get to the good stuff right away, but it had been very life-like.

He couldn't believe that dream had aroused him so much. Edward was still rock-hard, even after having walked so far to find some privacy. He closed his eyes, picturing Jacob as he had been in the dream.

Lying on his side with Edward's chest pressed to his back. Jacob had been soaked in sweat, his legs spread wantonly. He loved how the wolf had given him control over his pleasure. Jacob had just lain there, begging sweetly for Edward to fuck him. How could anyone deny such a request?

Edward released his cock from his pants, holding the stiff flesh in his hand. With Jacob still in mind, he began stroking himself.

How would it feel to be inside Jacob's tight ass? He imagined it would be hot and tight and wet from the lube. The contrast between his and Jacob's skin temperature would only increase the sensations. Jacob's body all around him, making him warm as nothing had since he was human.

He increased his motions, pulling on his cock almost roughly, wanting to come.

He caressed Jacob's chest, his abs, tracing the muscles there. Imagining the sounds Jacob would make made Edward moan himself.

He saw himself pushing in and out of the wolf, fucking him. And then Jacob was coming, his muscles contracting around Edward's cock. Just the sight of the young wolf's pleasure was enough to make Edward orgasm. The most intense pleasure of his long life, and that was just when he was imagining being with Jacob. What would it be like to _actually be with _the wolf?

xoxo

He made his way down the stairs, wondering where Edward had gone. The vampire must have left the house, or Jacob would be able to smell him.

He found Edward's honorary mother, Esme, in the kitchen. The woman didn't look as if she could ever harm anyone. Her pale, heart-shaped face was framed by soft, caramel-colored hair. She was small and slender, but where the other vampires were angular, Esme was more rounded, suiting her mother-like status.

His opinion of her rose even more when he smelled the food that she was cooking. It could only be for him, since the Cullen's didn't eat food. But why would she go to the trouble of making food just for him? He could have made his own food.

Esme hurried over when she spotted him and gently took one of his hands in her own. She led him over to the table and encouraged him to sit, babbling excitedly the whole time.

"I've always wanted to have children to take care of. Emmett, Rosalie, Edward, Jasper and Alice are great, of course, and I love them all. But I've never gotten to cook for them since we can't eat food, and they're independent enough that they don't want me doing their laundry or anything either."

Esme stopped then, and looked at him. "Will you let me do your laundry for you, Jacob?" she asked.

Jacob blushed, embarrassed. "Um…I actually don't have any clothes here other than what I'm wearing right now."

She smiled softly. "Oh, that's okay, dear. Alice bought you a whole new wardrobe. There are probably more clothes than you'll ever really need, especially if you keep growing," she said, looking him over critically. "But Alice loves shopping, and there was no stopping her."

While Esme had been talking, she had also finished cooking and served him his food. A nice juicy steak with mashed potatoes and gravy. Jacob dug in, almost inhaling the wonderful food. When he was finished, Jacob turned his attention back to Esme, who had taken the seat across from him.

"Thank you for everything, Esme, but you don't have to do all these things for me. I'm already intruding by staying here, and…" She lifted a hand, stopping him mid-sentence.

"You are not intruding, Jacob," she told him, seriously. "Any friend of Edward's is welcome here. And I know I don't _have_ to do anything for you, but I want to. It makes me feel good. Will you let me take care of you, Jacob?" she asked almost pleadingly.

Jacob really didn't want to upset her, but… "What if Edward thinks I'm taking advantage of your kindness or something?" he asked, worried. "I don't want him angry with me."

She smiled. "Don't you worry about Edward. I'll talk to him about it, okay?"

Jacob nodded, smiling. He didn't deserve so much kindness from this woman. Until he had imprinted on Edward, he had thought of the vampires as monsters. But now he knew different.

xoxo

Edward headed back to the house, figuring Jacob was probably looking for him by now. Jacob had probably woken up soon after Edward left, since Edward was sure it would be kind of hard to sleep through an orgasm. He guessed he wouldn't really know, though, since he had never had a wet dream himself.

When he got back to the house, Edward found Jacob and Esme speaking quietly in the kitchen. It smelled like Esme had made some dinner for Jacob, which didn't really surprise Edward. Esme had always wanted a child to take care of, and it looked like Jacob was going to be that child for her.

He knew from Jacob's thoughts that he only wanted to make Esme happy, so Edward didn't see any harm in letting her do things for the young wolf.

Edward entered the kitchen and seated himself in the chair next to Jacob's, listening as Esme continued talking about how her children never let her do anything for them. Edward rolled his eyes. Why should Esme have to do things for them that they were perfectly capable of doing themselves. Especially since doing such mundane things helped to fill up the hours when everyone else was asleep.

Suddenly she turned toward Edward, letting him know with her eyes that he better give the correct response to whatever she was a bout to say. "You don't mind if I cook and do other things for Jacob, do you Edward?" she asked, already knowing he wouldn't disappoint her.

Edward smirked, amused that Esme was already so protective of Jacob. "No Esme, why would I mind if you do things for Jacob?" he asked, as if he didn't already know the answer.

"Jacob seems to think that he would be taking advantage of my hospitality, which I assured him was not at all true. I would do these things for anyone who stayed here," she said, again addressing Jacob. "So you don't have to worry about anything, okay dear?"

Jacob nodded. "Thank you, Esme, that's very kind of you," he replied, looking honestly grateful for her kindness. Which he probably was after his pack's dismissal.

Edward took Jacob back up to his room after that, wanting to speak with him privately. Well, as privately as was possible in a house full of vampires.

Jacob flushed when he saw the bed, thinking of the state he had been in when he woke earlier. Edward chuckled, drawing the wolf's attention.

"You must have slept well earlier, to have such realistic dreams," Edward said, wondering what Jacob would think if he knew Edward had stayed for pretty much the whole thing. He would soon find out.

The flush deepened, embarrassment mixed with arousal. Just thinking of the dream got Jacob all worked up again. It did the same to Edward, though it seemed that Jacob was too embarrassed to notice.

Edward decided to get serious for a moment, before Jacob was too horny to listen. "I discovered some interesting things while you were sleeping today, Jacob," Edward said, making eye contact to be sure Jacob was listening. "I know that I've been limiting our physical contact, but I didn't want to lead you on when I wasn't sure how strong my attraction for you was. But I feel comfortable enough now to move forward, as long as we take it slow. Do you understand?"

Jacob nodded, but looked unsure. "We can move as slowly as you want, Edward," he said seriously. "You know I could never force you to do something you don't want."

"No, I don't think you would do that. I just want you to understand that I don't yet know if this relationship will go anywhere. I know I'm attracted to you, but that isn't the only thing you want from me, is it Jacob?"

"You know it isn't," he answered softly. "But I'm willing to take whatever you'll give me, even if your feelings never deepen to love."

It was then that he realized just how insecure Jacob was. The wolf didn't think Edward would ever love him, but he was willing to take whatever measly amounts of affection he could get from his imprint.

* * *

Questions/comments/suggestions? I hope you liked it!


	10. Chapter 10

Title: Unexpected

Author: jwolf11209

Pairings: Edward/Jacob, Alice/Bella, Seth/Jasper

Rating: MA - The story starts off slow, but will heat up eventually.

Warning: M/M, F/F, mpreg, language

Disclaimer: The characters used in this story do not belong to me.

Chapter: 10

Summary: Jacob was so convinced that Edward was going to eventually leave him, that he wasn't letting himself enjoy what he had now.

* * *

Chapter 10

* * *

Now Edward knew just how pathetic Jacob really was. But at least the vampire was willing to give him a chance. Jacob would do whatever was necessary to make Edward see that they would be good together. But he couldn't help but think nothing he did would ever be good enough to make Edward love him.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when Edward took his hand. The vampire pulled him over to the bed and pushed him down onto it. Jacob scooted back to lean against the wall, not knowing what Edward was up to. The vampire followed him, moving right up to straddle Jacob's thighs.

Okay, he knew Edward had said he was ready to let things move forward, but he hadn't expected it _this_ quickly! Jacob could feel his pulse quickening with anticipation, his skin heating with arousal. His cock filled, pushing up against Edward's ass.

The vampire brought his hands up to cradle Jacob's face, and met his eyes. The arousal darkening Edward's eyes brought such relief to Jacob. It was one thing for Edward to say that he was attracted to Jacob, but seeing it made it so much easier to believe. And if he needed further convincing, the rigid erection pressing against Jacob's stomach would have done it.

His breath hitched as Edward suddenly pressed their lips together. He had been waiting so long for Edward to kiss him, and it was better than he ever could have imagined. The firm lips moving against his own sent tingles to every part of his body, making him yearn to be closer to Edward. Jacob threaded the fingers of one hand in Edward's hair, not making any moves to control the kiss, just playing with the soft, reddish-brown locks. The opposite arm went around Edward's waist, pulling Edward as close as possible.

Edward brought his hand down from Jacob's face, forcing it between their bodies to caress his chest. When a thumb flicked across one of his nipples, Jacob moaned, his cock jerking. Edward didn't repeat the action, instead moving his hand to rest on Jacob's back.

The kiss went on for ages, never deepening, but Jacob had never been so turned on. Having Edward this close to him, just kissing him softly, was amazing. It was more than Jacob had thought would ever happen between them.

He hated feeling so vulnerable, but he couldn't help it when he was around Edward. The vampire held Jacob's life in his hands. He had the ability to make him the happiest man on earth, but there was also the possibility that Edward would shatter his world.

Edward pulled away from their kiss, attracting Jacob's attention. "You have to live for the moment, Jacob," Edward told him, brushing his lips over Jacob's cheek. "If all you think about is the future, the truly amazing moments will pass you by before you can enjoy them."

Edward was right, Jacob realized. How could he have been focusing on something so depressing when he had his soul mate on his lap, kissing him so sweetly? There would be no more thoughts of Edward leaving. Jacob couldn't change what was going to happen in the future, so he might as well focus on the present.

***

He sighed, relieved. Jacob was finally getting it. Hopefully Edward's advice would keep the wolf from drowning in self-pity. Jacob was so convinced that Edward was going to eventually leave him, that he wasn't letting himself enjoy what he had now.

Edward would promise Jacob everything if he was sure he could keep those promises. He truly believed that he could grow to love the wolf with time, but he wasn't willing to get Jacob's hopes up when he wasn't absolutely sure. Jacob may be a big strong wolf, but he was extremely fragile emotionally. Any kind of rejection would completely devastate him, and Edward was going to do everything he could to prevent that.

He brought his attention back to Jacob as the wolf combed his fingers through his hair. Edward loved how gentle Jacob was with him, even though it wasn't necessary. He moved closer, brushing their lips together once again.

"You should get some sleep," Edward said, lips still close enough to brush against Jacob's as he spoke. Jake nodded, not even trying to protest. He was tired, even after having taken a nap earlier in the day.

"Stay with me?" Jacob asked, still holding Edward close. In response, Edward gently extricated himself from Jacob's grasp. He pulled the sheets down, motioning for Jacob to lie down. Once he did, Edward positioned himself in front of the wolf, wanting to feel those big, strong arms around him.

He couldn't watch Jacob sleep in this position, but it felt so good to be surrounded by Jacob's warmth that Edward didn't care. He closed his eyes, listening to Jacob's sleepy thoughts.

_Feels so good, holding him close like this. Never wanna let him go. Never thought it would hurt so much to love someone. But I couldn't give him up for anything…wouldn't want to go back and change things. Imprinting on Edward was the best thing that ever happened to me…_

It was refreshing to know that Jacob never tried to sensor his thoughts, even though he had to know Edward was listening most of the time. Edward would never have any doubt about Jacob's feelings for him. He was on Jacob's mind almost constantly, and it was nice to know it. Edward wished Jacob was more confident, that he didn't doubt himself so much.

This Jacob was so different from the person Edward had thought Jacob was. Before the imprint, Jacob had been bitter and angry. Upset that Bella had chosen a monster over him. But things were different now, and Edward couldn't help but think that Jacob was better off. Jacob would never have been number one for Bella, and he _deserved_ to be the most important person in someone's life.

***

She smiled as she looked into Edward's future, which she could no longer see at all. Her brother was so clueless. He kept Jacob at a distance, not wanting to lead the wolf on, but he didn't even recognize his own feelings.

Edward was already in love with Jacob, he was just too afraid to make a mistake again. He had made himself think he was in love with Bella, and he didn't want to do the same with Jacob. Alice knew this, even if Edward hadn't exactly told her.

Edward had never been truly happy with Bella, but Alice hadn't told anyone what she knew. They wouldn't have listened. Everyone had been so happy that Edward was finally seeking companionship with someone, that they hadn't seen the signs. Edward had been fascinated by Bella, intrigued by her ability to keep him out of her mind. But that was all.

Alice couldn't deny her own fascination with Bella. But hers were very different reasons. Bella wasn't like so many of the humans surrounding them. She gave no thought to her own happiness, only caring that her loved ones were happy. Most humans were selfish creatures, wanting only to satisfy their own needs. Bella wasn't like the rest of them, and Alice admired her for that.

Alice wasn't about to deny her own feelings for Bella. She loved Jasper, but she knew their relationship was not meant to last forever. She had _seen _that long ago. With any luck, Alice's future would be with Bella. The only problem was that Bella was unaware of Alice's feelings.

That would change soon, though. Bella would be wanting some company before long, and Alice would be there for her.

Alice's only problem was that Jasper would be left alone. It wouldn't be good for him to be without her, but she didn't know what to do about it. She could only hope that there was someone else out there for him, and that they would come to him soon.

Jasper needed someone to believe in him. He had such a difficult time with their unique lifestyle, and he depended on Alice to help him deal with it. No matter how many times she told him that he wasn't going to hurt anyone, he never truly believed her. He needed someone to be near him, to be close enough to stop him should his control slip near humans.

Alice knew that when she left him, Jasper would seclude himself. He didn't trust himself enough to be in public without her by his side. She didn't want to put him in that position, but it was necessary.

* * *

So…what did you think? Questions/comments/suggestions? Hope you liked it!!!


	11. Chapter 11

Title: Unexpected

Author: jwolf11209

Pairings: Edward/Jacob, Alice/Bella, Seth/Jasper

Rating: MA - The story starts off slow, but will heat up eventually.

Warning: M/M, F/F, mpreg, language

Disclaimer: The characters used in this story do not belong to me.

Chapter: 11

Summary: _Will he order me to never come near him again? I would _die_ if he sent me away!_

* * *

Chapter 11

* * *

He needed to call his dad. Jacob felt bad that he hadn't even thought to tell his father about his imprinting before announcing it to the pack. But to be honest, he had been more worried about his pack's reaction than his father's. Jacob was sure the old man would come to the same conclusion as he had. He had been paired with Edward for a reason, and they would find out that reason sooner or later.

He still lay in Edward's bed, holding the vampire close as he had done all of last night. This was a new position for them. Usually Edward was the one doing the holding, but Jacob understood the vampire's need to be held following his admission of wanting more with Jacob physically.

It was hard for Jacob to remember that this was all new for Edward. The vampire had never been attracted to another guy before, and he had never had to deal with a pubescent wolf shifter imprinting on him either. That had to be difficult for him. Jacob had no idea what the older boy was going through.

He didn't have any doubt about his feelings for Edward. The fact that he was Jacob's same gender didn't make any difference. He could only hope that the vampire would return his feelings someday. He didn't even want to think about what would happen if Edward decided he didn't want Jacob around anymore. But he didn't think Edward would ever make Jacob leave his life completely, even if his feelings never grew.

These past few days had shown him how wrong he had been to judge these vampires based on what they were. Most vampires _were_ monsters, but this family wasn't like the rest of them. They had welcomed him into their home and made him feel comfortable. Well, at least most of them had. But he wasn't bothered by Rosalie's constant scowling and insults. If anything, they just amused him.

Edward shifted then, gaining Jake's attention. The vampire turned over and met Jacob's eyes. "You need to call Billy, Jacob," he said, reminding Jacob of his earlier thoughts. "I assume you don't want to see the members of your pack until they come to a decision, so you'll need to ask your father to contact your school."

Damn…he hadn't even thought of that. "Yeah…I'm not going back to La Push until I know my pack won't jump me or something," Jacob said unhappily.

Edward moved his fingers over Jacob's forehead, smoothing out the frown there. "I'd like to stay here with you, but I don't have a good reason to skip school today," Edward told him, still caressing his face. "Esme will be around here all day, so you won't be left all alone."

Jacob smiled. It wouldn't be any hardship to spend the day with Esme. She would probably stuff him full of food and mother him to death, but it made him feel special when she treated him so nicely. He would miss Edward, but he wouldn't really be gone for very long, and there wasn't any reason to complain about having time to get to know Esme.

Edward pulled a tiny phone out of his pocket, handing it to Jacob. He sighed, not really wanting to have this conversation with his father. Hopefully Billy would be able to see Jacob's point of view on the matter of his imprinting.

***

Alice sat with Bella during lunch, sensing that the other girl needed someone to talk to. Bella had been quiet all day, not speaking to anyone unless spoken to, but she didn't look too bad. Alice had seen how Bella had looked and acted after Alice's family left Forks, and the girl didn't look half so bad now. Maybe just her family's presence was helping Bella to cope with the fact that Edward didn't want her anymore.

Alice didn't want Bella to go back to the state she had been in after they left. Every time she had checked on Bella, her visions had terrified her. The hollow shell that she had _seen_ in her visions was nothing like the Bella she knew and loved. Most of her visions showed Bella sitting alone, staring at nothing. She had been even more pale than usual, with dark circles beneath her eyes, like she hadn't had a good night's sleep in days.

Because she and Bella were meant to have a future together, Alice had known that she, at least, would return to Forks at some point. She just hadn't know when that time would come, or how it would come about.

Alice had worried about Bella's state of mind, especially since she had _seen_ the girl doing such stupid things. Jumping off a cliff may have been the worst thing she had done, but Alice had also had a vision showing Bella buying motorcycles. She didn't think for one minute that the other girl hadn't tried riding one at some point.

But nothing could compare to the way she had felt when she _saw_ Bella jump off that cliff. If she had a heartbeat it would have stopped in that moment. She had thought Bella was dead, and couldn't be convinced otherwise until she saw the girl with her own eyes. Not even Jasper had been able to calm her, and she had hated to make him feel so helpless. He had always been able to make her feel better before that.

Alice sighed, pushing the memories away to focus on the girl seated next to her. Bella was doing nothing more with her food than pushing it around her plate. Her chin rested in the other palm, and she was staring straight ahead, seeing nothing. Alice wondered what her friend was thinking about. Probably asking herself how she was going to deal with witnessing a relationship between two boys that had been in love with _her_ not so long ago.

Alice cleared her throat, bringing Bella's attention to her. "So," Alice said, smiling at the other girl, "have anything you'd like to talk about?" She looked at Bella expectantly, wanting to know what thoughts had been occupying the other girl's mind.

She could see the sadness in Bella's eyes, now that the other girl was facing her. But she seemed resigned to the fact that Edward was no longer hers.

"Will Edward be happy with Jacob?" Bella asked, and Alice knew that the only thing Bella wanted was for her friends to be happy. She could see it in the girl's expression. As long as Edward and Jacob were happy with each other, Bella wouldn't try to come between them.

Alice had to tell her the truth though, and it probably wouldn't be pleasant to hear. "Edward will come to love Jacob more than he has ever loved another person in his life," she said, knowing it was true. Even if she couldn't _see_ his future, Alice could tell just by looking at Edward that he already loved the wolf more than he had ever loved Bella.

Bella's eyes filled with tears, but she didn't let them fall. She cleared her throat, trying to gain her composure. "As long as they're both happy, I'm happy for them," Bella said, her voice a bit strained.

Alice wasn't real worried about Bella. The girl was strong, and she would be able to move on with time. Alice knew that Bella wasn't yet ready for another relationship, but she would help the other girl through this rough time and hope for the best.

***

He sat on the porch steps, waiting for Edward to get home. Jacob had had a good time with Esme today, but being away from Edward for any length of time made him anxious. No matter how many times Jacob told himself that Edward would come back, he couldn't make himself believe it until the vampire was with him again.

He couldn't stop himself from thinking that Edward would eventually get bored with him, and run back to Bella, begging her for another chance. He knew it was a stupid thing to think, especially since Edward had told him he hadn't really been in love with Bella. But the thoughts wouldn't go away.

_What if he never loves me? What if he decides he likes boys, but he doesn't want _me_? Will he find someone else that can satisfy him? Will he order me to never come near him again? I would _die_ if he sent me away!_

He abruptly cut off those thoughts as he heard Edward's car coming. Hopefully the vampire hadn't heard them. Edward already knew how pitifully insecure he was, he didn't want the older boy to think he was a nutcase.

Jacob stood, unable to wait a second longer than necessary to touch Edward again, to make sure he wasn't imagining this whole thing between them. He threw himself at the vampire as soon as he was out of the car, knowing how desperate it made him look, but unable to care.

He was only able to relax once he felt the vampire's arms wrap around him, holding him tightly. Edward had come back, and he was still allowing Jacob to touch him. Things were always better when he was close to his imprint.

* * *

Sorry it took me so long to update, but I've been having some problems with my computer. It's all good now though, so hopefully next time there won't be such a long wait. Please leave questions, comments, or suggestions if you wish. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	12. Chapter 12

Title: Unexpected

Author: jwolf11209

Pairings: Edward/Jacob, Alice/Bella, Seth/Jasper

Rating: MA - The story starts off slow, but will heat up eventually.

Warning: M/M, F/F, mpreg, language

Disclaimer: The characters used in this story do not belong to me.

Chapter: 12

Summary: Jasper knew Alice's feelings toward him were slowly changing. He could sense it. Was she getting tired of him? It seemed impossible that such a thing could happen when they had been together so long.

* * *

Chapter 12

* * *

He was barely out of the car before Jacob slammed into him. Not really surprising after having heard Jacob's fearful thoughts. Edward hated that Jacob was so insecure, but he knew that wouldn't change until he was ready to admit that he had feelings for the other boy. And Edward wanted to be sure of himself before he told Jacob anything.

He held the wolf close, trying to reassure him. He loved how he could make Jacob relax just by being near him. Hopefully one day Jacob wouldn't have to suffer like this every time Edward had to leave him. The wolf obviously became stressed when Edward was gone for more than a few hours. But Edward figured that was probably only because Jacob wasn't sure their relationship was going to be permanent.

Edward didn't even want to contemplate the pain Jacob would suffer if this thing between them didn't work out. He knew deep down that he would never leave the wolf, but he couldn't bring himself to say so until he was sure that he could give Jacob the kind of love he craved. He couldn't make the same mistake he had made with Bella. His leaving may have _hurt_ her, but he had a feeling that it would do much worse to Jacob, and he couldn't let that happen. He cared too much for the wolf for that.

He buried his face in Jacob's neck, inhaling his woodsy scent. He couldn't believe how much the wolf's scent had changed for him. It didn't really make sense, but he figured it must have something to do with Jacob imprinting on him. Maybe Jacob was meant to be his mate just as he was meant to be Jacob's. He didn't know, but he couldn't get enough of Jacob's warm body and masculine strength. He found it odd that he was attracted to these things now when he had never felt this way about a boy before. But it felt _right_ to be with Jacob, and he couldn't ignore that feeling.

Edward pulled away just enough to speak into Jacob's ear. "How did your talk with your father go?" Jacob didn't move, which Edward figured was a good thing. He didn't answer out loud either, just let Edward see the conversation through his thoughts.

As Jacob had thought, Billy hadn't been terribly upset. He had told Jacob that imprints only happened when two people were fated to be together. It was also said that imprinted wolves had a greater chance of passing the wolf gene on to their offspring. Obviously that didn't apply where Jacob and Edward were concerned, so there must be some other reason that Jacob had imprinted on him.

Billy had also assured Jacob that he would call the school to inform them of Jacob's indefinite absence. He would find a way to get Jacob's homework to him as well, so he wouldn't get too far behind in his studies.

Jacob seemed to be feeling much better about things since speaking with his father. Probably because the elders in Jacob's tribe would most likely agree with Billy that Jacob's imprint should be honored as any other would be.

The pack may not be happy about it, but Edward guessed that they would soon be forced to accept him. He hoped the wolves wouldn't do anything rash if the elders decided to break the treaty. He only knew that if wolf pack tried to hurt Jacob in any way, Edward was not going to sit back and do nothing. He would fight to protect what was his.

***

He didn't understand. He and Alice had been drifting apart. Jasper knew Alice's feelings toward him were slowly changing. He could sense it. Was she getting tired of him? It seemed impossible that such a thing could happen when they had been together so long. Jasper's own feelings only got stronger as the years went by.

He didn't want to lose her. Alice was his rock, the one who kept him on the right track. She was the only one who could comfort him when he felt inferior to the rest of his family. It seemed like they all had it so much easier than he did when it came to resisting the temptation of human blood.

Jasper didn't understand how everyone else could get so close to Bella without even holding their breath. They hugged her without showing any signs of losing control.

It made him feel worthless. Why was it so much harder for him? Sure, he was the most recent _vegetarian_, but he was pretty sure it hadn't taken the others this long to get used to it. He didn't think it would ever get easier for him.

It would be even worse if Alice left him, which seemed more and more likely each day. These days, he rarely received the casual touches from Alice that he had become so used to over the years. And he couldn't even remember the last time they had sex.

Jasper sat on the floor of his and Alice's bedroom, trying not to let his emotions get the better of him. It didn't make sense that he could control everyone's emotions except for his own.

He was alone in the house except for Jacob. He hadn't felt up to going to school today because of Alice's apparent distraction, and no one had questioned him. Carlisle was working, and Esme had gone to buy more groceries for the wolf.

Jasper hadn't really spoken to Jacob in the few days he'd been in their home, but the wolf seemed nice enough based on what he'd seen so far. The younger man absolutely _adored_ Esme, probably because she doted on him, and he was very respectful of all of them. He knew Jacob was grateful to them for taking him into their home when his own pack had turned their backs on him.

He could also relate to Jacob's constant feelings of insecurity. Jasper had many more reasons to feel that way than the wolf did, but maybe it would help them both if they talked to each other. With that thought, Jasper pushed himself off the floor, heading out to find Jacob.

The wolf was seated on the porch, in the same place he always seemed to be waiting when they got home from school each day. Jacob never seemed to get over his fear that Edward would leave for school one day and never come back. And until Edward admitted his feelings for Jacob, and the wolf knew for sure they were genuine, this would probably keep happening.

Jasper knew that Edward had deep feelings for this young wolf, but his brother didn't want to hurt Jacob by admitting to feelings he wasn't yet sure about. He had known Edward wouldn't be with Bella forever, just as Alice had known. His brother's feelings for her hadn't been deep enough to last very long. But Jasper was of the opinion that people should be allowed to make mistakes, so that they could learn from them. Obviously Edward had benefited from his and Alice's deception. He wouldn't make the same mistake twice. But if Edward waited too long to inform Jacob of his feelings, it could do more harm than good.

Jasper sat on the step below Jacob, waiting for the wolf to acknowledge him. Another good thing about Jacob…Jasper could be near him without wanting to take a bite out of him. He really hadn't been happy when Edward started bringing Bella into their home. It was the only place he was ever able to really relax, and having a human there had ruined it.

It wasn't that Jasper disliked Bella, but he didn't like feeling weak, and being near humans did that to him. The night he had attacked Bella during her birthday celebration still haunted him. He had felt terrible, even more so when Edward had decided it would be safest for Bella if they all left Forks. He pushed the memories away, knowing they weren't helping his already dark mood.

Focusing on Jacob once again, he found the younger man watching him, probably wondering why he was out here. Jasper turned to face him, finding it odd to have to look up at him. Jacob's body was very mature for his age, because of his wolf genes, and he was quite a bit taller than Jasper.

"How are things going with Edward?" Jasper asked, not knowing if Jacob would be willing to confide in him. The wolf didn't know him, so there wasn't any reason for Jacob to trust him enough to speak with him about something so personal.

He was surprised by Jacob's answer. "I don't think Edward would ever leave me permanently, but I can't stop thinking he's not coming back every time he's gone for longer than a few hours." The wolf was obviously dealing with such thoughts now, judging by how stressed he seemed.

Jasper couldn't help but want to reassure him. Jacob's feelings for Edward were so pure, and it made Jasper wish that someone could feel that way about him. But he was too damaged for someone to have such strong feelings for him. He wasn't worthy of that kind of love. If he was, surely Alice would have been able to give it to him. She was the sweetest person he'd ever met, and he couldn't imagine _anyone_ having such feelings for him if she couldn't.

"Edward would never send you away, Jacob," Jasper said honestly, not wanting to betray Edward by revealing his feelings for the wolf. Such things should be heard directly from the source. "He couldn't hurt you like that."

To Jasper's amazement, his words seemed to help calm the wolf. It seemed strange that Jacob could benefit from words spoken by someone he didn't even know. But Jasper was glad to be able to help the wolf. It made him feel just a little bit better about himself.

***

He couldn't believe he had forgotten about Victoria! Something like that shouldn't have taken so long for him to recall. But he had been so confused lately about everything going on with Jacob that everything else had been pushed to the back of his mind.

The only reason he had remembered was that he had been thinking about the day Jacob had imprinted on him. It seemed ironic that it had happened in Bella's house of all places. She was the main reason that they had never liked each other. Well, other than the vampire/wolf mortal enemies thing.

When Edward pulled up to his house, he was surprised to find that Jacob wasn't waiting for him as was usual. The porch was conspicuously empty, causing worry to consume him. Where was Jacob? He had sat on the porch waiting for Edward to come home from school every day this week, so why was he absent today?

He hurried up to the house, immediately relaxing once he was inside. Jacob was here, and safe. He could hear his voice drifting from the living room. He was surprised to find him speaking with Jasper, who had skipped school today.

Jacob seemed to be doing okay, which was unusual when Edward had been gone all day. So his and Jasper's conversation must be helping with his anxiety. His brother didn't seem to be trying to alter Jacob's mood, so it must be the talk that was helping. Edward was grateful for that. He hated to see the wolf so stressed out every day when he returned from school.

As usual, Jacob rushed straight into Edward's arms once he saw him. The only difference was his state of mind. Edward smiled at Jasper, trying to silently communicate his thanks for helping the wolf. It was unusual for Jasper to become close to anyone outside their family, so he was surprised that he seemed to like Jacob so much already.

And once again, thoughts of Jacob had made him forget about the danger Victoria posed. He had never had to deal with forgetting things that were so important. What was wrong with him?

He pulled back from Jacob, and led him back to the couch, pulling him down into his lap. It probably looked strange for him to have someone so much larger than him in that position, but it was a comfortable position for them.

He met Jacob's eyes, knowing that he had made a stupid mistake when it came to Bella's safety. She may not be his girlfriend anymore, but it was his fault Victoria was after her in the first place, and he still needed to make sure she was protected.

He sighed, not really wanting to admit to being so stupid. "I did something really stupid," he started, causing both Jasper and Jacob to snap to attention. "On the day you imprinted on me, I smelled another vampire on my way back to Bella's house," he told Jacob, knowing he would recall the day in question. "I don't even know how I could go so long without remembering something so important, but that is obviously the case."

"You don't need to worry about it, Edward," Jacob said. "She's been coming around for awhile, and the pack has been keeping an eye on her to make sure she can't hurt Bella, or anyone else for that matter. I'm sure they're still making sure Bella's safe. I'm sure my father is making sure they keep her safe, for Charlie's sake."

Well, at least his mistake didn't seem to have caused any harm. Bella was alive and well. He knew that since she had been at school every day, and if Jacob was right, the wolves were making sure Victoria stayed away.

But Edward would have to check out the woods behind Bella's house, just to be sure. He would never forgive himself if something happened to Bella because of his stupidity.

* * *

Thank you for reading the chapter, I hope you enjoyed it! Please leave questions, comments, or suggestions if you wish. Happy New Year!!! ;)


	13. Chapter 13

Title: Unexpected

Author: jwolf11209

Pairings: Edward/Jacob, Alice/Bella, Seth/Jasper

Rating: MA - The story starts off slow, but will heat up eventually.

Warning: M/M, F/F, mpreg, language

Disclaimer: The characters used in this story do not belong to me.

Chapter: 13

Summary: Alice remembered a time when Jasper was the only person she cared about. When she had felt that as long as they were safe and happy, nothing could ever tear them apart.

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Chapter 13

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Alice knew she should have told him by now, but she really didn't want to hurt Jasper. He was way more emotionally fragile than most would think. He obviously knew something was different between them. Alice should have told him what she knew before he was able to sense the change in her feelings for him.

She still loved him, but it wasn't the same anymore. She no longer felt that bone deep emotion that said they would be together forever. And she _had_ once felt that for him. Her feelings for Jasper had once had the power to consume her; mind, body and soul.

Alice remembered a time when Jasper was the only person she cared about. When she had felt that as long as they were safe and happy, nothing could ever tear them apart. But that had been before her vision. The vision that had changed _everything_.

She hadn't believed it at first, that she would eventually leave Jasper. He had meant everything to her, at the time. It had been hard to even imagine that some _human girl _could compete with the level of feelings she had for him.

How would someone else possibly be able to help her when she was overcome with depression? It didn't happen very often anymore, that her nonexistent past haunted her. But it used to be that Jasper was the only one able to reach her during those times. Not knowing where she came from, what name she was born with or what kind of person she had been; it left her feeling lost, as if there was no place for her in this world.

Many wouldn't believe Alice to be capable of such thoughts, and usually she wasn't, but sometimes she couldn't keep the darkness from consuming her. During these times she could do nothing but exist within the gray walls that confined her.

But that had been long before they moved to Forks, and even before they had joined Carlisle and the others. She hadn't had any episodes such as those in quite some time, and she hoped they would stay away. She no longer thought about the life she never knew; never considered how she could possibly have become a vampire. It wasn't worth it anymore, now that she had a family.

And now she knew she had been wrong. Even if Alice were to sink back into depression, Bella would be able to help her through. The girl would do whatever it took to help one of her friends, to make sure everyone she loved was happy. And that was one of the things Alice loved most about Bella. She was the most unselfish human Alice had ever met.

Alice didn't know why or how her feelings for Jasper had changed so much. She just knew that she no longer belonged with him. She wasn't meant to be with him for the rest of their long lives, as she had once imagined they were.

She wished she could _see _what Jasper's future held, but that wouldn't be even remotely possible until she ended their relationship. Alice could only hope that Jasper would be able to survive without their connection there to ground him. He had already begun cutting himself off from people, refusing to attend school the last few days.

Alice headed toward their room, dreading the upcoming conversation.

***

Seth walked through the forest, unable to phase for fear of being caught. He would probably be in trouble when Sam found out about this, but it was wrong to try and keep the pack away from Jacob. He was a part of their family, and for Seth, that would never change.

He didn't know why the rest of the pack was so upset about this. Sure, the vampires were supposed to be their enemies and blah, blah, blah… But this family didn't even drink human blood, so obviously they weren't the ones their pack had been created to fight. As long as they didn't hurt any humans, the Cullen's would be okay in Seth's book.

Besides, Seth thought that getting to know these vampires would be pretty cool. He wondered if the other members of Edward's family had special talents. Surely they couldn't all read minds? No, from what he could tell from Jacob's thoughts, the mind reading thing had seemed like something specific to Edward.

He wondered what the reason was for Jacob to have imprinted on a vampire? Surely there was a good reason for it? And if there wasn't, he knew the pack would have an even harder time coming to terms with this imprint. But that was _impossible_. An imprint could be neither controlled nor denied, and there was always a reason for them. Even if that reason was far from obvious at the time the imprint took place.

Seth hoped, for Jacob's sake, that the reason for this union was made obvious sooner rather than later. His friend was surely having a hard time with this, and none of his friends or family were there to help him through it. Not even Bella would be there for him, since he had basically stolen her boyfriend, and she had been Jacob's best friend! Seth hoped that the Cullen's were being more supportive of Jake than his own pack had been.

When he finally reached the Cullen's house, one of the vampires was waiting for him. He didn't know any of them personally, but he knew this was Jacob's imprint, Edward. He had seen this vampire in Jacob's mind when his friend had shown the pack his imprinting experience.

He stopped, unsure if he would be welcome in the vampire's home. He was sure Edward would know he meant no harm to Jacob, as this vampire could hear people's thoughts. But he still waited, not wanting to move closer until there was some indication that he was welcome.

The vampire stepped closer, but Seth wasn't afraid of him. He didn't look angry, and there was no indication that he meant Seth any harm. And even if he _wanted_ to hurt Seth, the vampire must know that that would upset Jacob, right? So he stood still, waiting for Edward to say something. Waiting to see if he would be allowed to visit with his friend.

"I take it the pack hasn't calmed down at all about this imprint?" Edward asked, stopped a few feet in front of Seth.

He shook his head, somewhat surprised by the question. He had expected Edward to ask him why he was here or something. "No, they're all being stupid. I think everything will be okay after Sam talks about it with the elders, though. They know that an imprint can't be ignored."

"Yes, Jacob said something similar," Edward said, nodding his head absently, "though he still seems worried that the pack will never accept it."

Edward's tone surprised Seth. He had known about the imprint, of course, but he hadn't been aware that the vampire returned Jacob's feelings at all. Edward sounded genuinely upset that Jake's family wasn't supporting him. Seth hoped that the vampire could give Jake what he deserved, which was someone who could love him unconditionally.

Jake was a great person, and he deserved the best. He was the only one in their pack who didn't treat Seth like some stupid little kid. Sure, Seth _was_ one of the youngest, but it was only by a couple of years, and its not like it made that much difference! Seth was just a lot more optimistic than everyone else, and the pack was annoyed by his constant good mood. But jeez, it wasn't his fault his pack was a bunch of sour pusses!

Edward chuckled, leading Seth to believe that the vampire was listening in on his thoughts. "Thank you for coming, Seth," Edward said. "Jacob really needs a friend right now. Not that he hasn't been getting along with my family just fine, but I think having a member from his pack here will really help him right now."

Edward led him up to the white monstrosity of a house. Holy shit! Seth had never even been in a house that big! It looked old too, like it had been sitting here for hundreds of years, except it was well kept.

And that was his last thought before he found himself flat on his back, staring at the sky. Damn, Jacob must be _really _happy to see him. He grinned.

"Dude, you should warn a guy before you go and tackle 'em like that," Seth joked, poking Jacob in the side. "Ugh…shit, Jake, get _off_ of me! You're fuckin' heavy!"

Once they were both on their feet again, Seth studied Jake. The other boy was smiling widely, obviously happy to see him. And then he was wrapped up in Jake's huge frame, having the life squeezed out of him.

"Jeez, I would think having an imprint would make you _less_ touchy when it came to others, not more," Seth gasped out, barely able to move within Jacob's grasp.

"I'm so happy to see you, Seth," Jake said, finally letting go of Seth and stepping away. "But aren't you gonna get in trouble for being here?" Jacob asked worriedly.

Seth frowned. "Well, yeah, but Sam's being stupid! He of all people should know that imprints happen for a reason. You know what? Maybe I should just stay here until the pack comes to their senses. I'll sleep outside if I have to, but I don't wanna leave you here all by yourself again."

Seth didn't know why he hadn't thought of that before. If he didn't go back to La Push, Sam couldn't punish him for visiting Jacob. And Jake wouldn't have to stay here and be all lonely when Edward couldn't be here with him. It made perfect sense!

"But Seth, what about school? And your mom? You have to go back," Jake said, sternly. "I'll be fine here until the pack figures things out."

Seth snorted. "No, Jake, I'm not going back until they let you go back," Seth said stubbornly, crossing his arms over his chest. "Besides, I bet you anything Leah will come looking for me." He smirked, thinking about his older sister. She would be here before the end of the day, even if it meant being near the vampires. She didn't particularly like them, but Seth knew she wouldn't leave him alone with a bunch of 'blood suckers'.

_Stupid protective older sisters!_

It was only then that he noticed they weren't alone. Edward was there, of course, but some other members of his family had joined them as well. There was a tall, blonde girl glaring at him from the porch…_what the hell's stuck up her ass?_ And then there were two others; a tiny dark-haired girl and a friendly-looking woman with a soft smile on her face.

"Of course you won't be sleeping outside, dear," the woman informed him, kindly. "There's more than enough room for you to stay in the house."

Well, he guessed he didn't have to worry about not being welcome here. The only one who looked less than welcoming was the blonde, and by the looks of it, that glare was permanently fixed to her face. Seth had a feeling he was going to have some fun with blondie.

***

Edward followed everyone into the house. He had certainly not expected this young wolf to want to _stay_ here, in a house full of vampires. Sure, Jacob was staying with them, but that was entirely different. Edward knew Jake would never have come near this house if he hadn't imprinted on him, and Seth didn't even know any of them. Seth was showing a remarkable amount of trust in Jacob's judgment.

But Edward supposed it was a good thing. Jake needed the support from someone close to him. Especially since Bella still wasn't speaking to either of them, and she had once been Jacob's best friend. And Seth seemed like a nice kid, at least so far.

Jacob had been doing better lately, probably due to his time spent with Jasper. His brother had stayed home from school the past few days, so they had been able to get to know each other, and become friends.

It was good for both of them, in Edward's opinion. Jasper had been having an even harder time than usual due to Alice's changing feelings, and Jake seemed to always be worrying about Edward leaving for school and never coming back. But having someone to talk to seemed to be helping both of them.

Or it had been until Alice went and broke up with Jasper. Carlisle and Emmett had dragged him away on a camping trip so he would have some time away from Alice to come to terms with things. Not that going away for a few days was going to help. Jasper didn't do well without Alice, and Edward was probably the only one other than his sister who knew just how bad things got for Jasper. He tried not to pry into his family's minds, but sometimes it just wasn't possible to ignore the thoughts floating around him.

Edward hoped that Jasper wouldn't leave Forks. That would probably make things worse for him, even if it kept him from experiencing the torture seeing Alice every day would cause. If anything, it would be best for Jasper to have the support of his family at this time.

Edward couldn't blame his sister for ending their relationship, even though seeing Jasper so upset made him want to. She had been thinking about the vision a lot lately, and hadn't been able to hide it from Edward.

It had been unexpected, for sure, to see a vision of Alice and Bella, _together_. To be honest, though, he was relieved to know that Bella wouldn't have to be alone anymore. To know that she would be able to move on, and be happy with someone else. Bella deserved more than Edward would ever have been able to give her. It made him feel just a little less guilty about leaving her a second time.

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Sorry for the delay, but I had some problems with this chapter. Thank you to everyone who leaves reviews! I love seeing if people like my work, and it's a good motivator to continue the story. Any guesses what's gonna happen in the next chapter? Anything you really want to happen in the next chapter? Let me know…review please!!!

Oh, and I wasn't sure exactly how old Seth is, so if I'm wrong could someone please let me know? Thanks! ;)


	14. Chapter 14

Title: Unexpected

Author: jwolf11209

Pairings: Edward/Jacob, Alice/Bella, Seth/Jasper

Rating: MA - The story starts off slow, but will heat up eventually.

Warning: M/M, F/F, mpreg, language

Disclaimer: The characters used in this story do not belong to me.

Chapter: 14

Summary: He didn't know what was wrong with him. Edward was the only one who had ever made him feel this way, and it was hard to be wrapped up so much in one person.

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Chapter 14

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As Seth had predicted, Leah showed up later that night. Unlike Seth though, she refused to sleep inside the house, preferring to sleep outside away from the smell. The girl had refused to leave, saying that she wasn't going anywhere until Seth did.

Jake sat on the couch with Edward, watching as Esme and Seth talked animatedly. Seth was the kind of person who could get along with pretty much anyone. He was always smiling and his constant good mood was infectious. Even his change into a wolf hadn't diminished his optimism, as it had for Jacob.

He didn't seem bothered at all to be surrounded by vampires, which was surprising to Jacob. Especially since they had seen the darker side of vampirism. He couldn't remember the name of the vampire that had nearly attacked Bella, but he did know that she would have died had the pack not been there that day.

Jake was surprised when Edward suddenly stood and started dragging him out of the room, up the stairs. "What are you doing, Edward?" he asked, but received no answer. Edward didn't stop until they were in his room with the door closed, and then he pushed Jake down onto the bed.

Edward looked angry, and Jake wondered what could have happened to make him so. He didn't have to wait long to find out.

"Why exactly was I not informed about a vampire attacking Bella?" the vampire growled, visibly restraining himself. It took Jake a minute to make sense of the question, since he hadn't even really been paying attention to his thoughts of the attack.

"I--um…Edward, I…" he stuttered, at a lost as to what he should say. It sounded stupid, but he had completely forgotten about the other vampire until Seth's presence had reminded him. His imprint and everything that went along with it had been the only thing he could focus on lately.

He closed his eyes, unable to bear seeing that expression directed at him any longer. He hadn't seen that look on Edward's face since before the imprint, and it was bringing all his insecurities back to the forefront of his mind.

When he felt Edward's touch on his cheek he flinched back, sure the vampire was going to hit him. He didn't know why he would automatically think that, as Edward had never hit him before, but he couldn't get that angry scowl out of his head. The vampire had been fairly trembling with rage, and it seemed only natural that he would release that anger through his fists.

But then the hand moved down underneath his chin, tilting his face up gently, and he peeked at Edward through his lashes. The vampire no longer looked even remotely angry. Instead his face was creased with worry, the hurt unmistakable in his eyes. And that made Jake feel even worse, because he should have known Edward would never lay a hand on him in anger. Even if he did, it would take a lot for Jake to actually be physically hurt.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, burying his face in his hands. He didn't know what was wrong with him. Edward was the only one who had ever made him feel this way, and it was hard to be wrapped up so much in one person.

He felt Edward sit next to him on the bed, close enough that they were touching from shoulder to knee. "I wasn't angry with _you_, Jacob," Edward said, his voice low and soothing. "I was angry with myself, for not being there to protect her. My leaving put Bella in more danger than she was in when I was here, and I still feel guilty for it."

Jake lifted his head, turning a bit so he could see his imprint. Edward met his eyes, continuing his admission. "I feel a lot of guilt where Bella is concerned. I made her think my feelings for here were deeper than they were, and even if I did actually think I was in love with her, I am plagued with guilt over it."

Jacob didn't want to think about Bella anymore, it only made him feel worse. She still wasn't speaking to either of them, and honestly, Jacob was feeling guilty where she was concerned as well. So he returned to the subject that had brought them up here in the first place.

"We found her in a meadow, and the vampire was just about to bite her when we arrived. We chased him away before he could hurt her, and then we killed him," Jake said, not even wanting to remember the fear that had consumed him when he saw Bella so close to death.

"What did this vampire look like?" Edward asked quietly, and Jake wondered if it was possible that the Cullen's had known Bella's attacker. But even if they had been friends with the vampire, Jacob couldn't feel guilty about killing someone who had wanted his best friend dead.

"He had darker skin, olive colored or something," Jake told him, not sure he wanted to talk about this anymore. He didn't want Edward to get angry with him for killing someone he knew. "And his hair was done in dreadlocks."

"Laurent…" Edward muttered, almost to himself, and then he continued. "He was part of the same coven as Victoria, the female vampire that I smelled near Bella's house," the vampire explained.

"Can we not talk about this anymore?" Jake asked. This whole conversation was exhausting him, and he just wanted to curl up in the bed with Edward and go to sleep.

"Sure," Edward said, standing and pulling Jake up with him. "You go ahead and get ready for bed, and I'll be here when you get back."

***

It was surprising how easy it was to be around these vampires, even after having stayed with them for three days. Seth hadn't expected them to be so nice, especially since the pack seemed to hate them so much. Of course, most of the pack probably hadn't even met them, so he supposed he shouldn't have taken their opinions very seriously.

He had only met half the family, since the others had gone away for a hunting trip, but it was pretty easy for him to get along with everyone so far. Esme was a maternal type, always making sure he and Jake had enough food and clean clothes. Seth could tell that she loved her family unconditionally. And Alice was sweet, always skipping around the house chattering away about anything and everything.

They had even told him about the gifts some of them had. He had already known about Edward's ability to hear people's thoughts, but he learned that Alice _saw_ glimpses of the future. And one of the male vampires was able to feel and manipulate other people's emotions. Which he had to admit, was fuckin' awesome!

Most of the family seemed to just have brought some strong personality trait from their human life, such as Esme's ability to love compassionately, but Edward, Alice, and Jasper--whoever he was--all had much more helpful gifts.

He couldn't wait to meet the rest of the Cullen family. He could see how much this group of vampires loved each other, and he knew that they chose to live as a family. Seth didn't know how anyone could view them as monsters. They chose to live on a substance that wasn't completely satisfying for them, just so they wouldn't have to kill humans. Seth thought that was pretty admirable, but obviously the others didn't see things that way.

Before the imprint, even Jake had had a problem with them, although Seth didn't know all the reasons for it. It could have been just because one of them had owned the heart of the girl he had loved. But Seth also knew that Jake had blamed the vampires for turning him into a wolf. If the Cullen's had never returned to Forks, they wouldn't have become wolves. Unless, of course, some other vampire coven had decided to inhabit the area.

Everyone was scattered around the living room, just talking. They were having a great time, all except for Rosalie, who was scowling at the television and flipping through the channels so fast that Seth couldn't even see what any of the show were. He wondered if she was even capable of smiling…didn't seem to be.

And then the channel flipping suddenly stopped, and Rosalie was out the front door before Seth could even process that she had moved. He looked around at the others, confused.

"She went to meet the others," Edward explained, stroking Jake's arm absently. They're almost here."

Edward was seated in a large white chair, his legs on either side of Jacob's body. Jake was leaning back against the vampire's chest, looking more content than Seth had ever seen him. Seth found it funny that he could even think such a thing, but they looked adorable together. He rolled his eyes at himself. When had he turned into such a _girl_? But he couldn't help being happy for his friend.

And then he noticed Alice's expression. She looked troubled, which was odd, because shouldn't she be happy that the rest of her family was almost home? It seemed wrong somehow to see here looking so down, when most of the time her cheerfulness knew no bounds. He may have known her only a few days, but not once in that time had he seen a frown on her face.

It worried him even more when she left the room, and he heard her climbing the stairs. He wondered what was wrong, but didn't feel like he had a right to ask.

His thoughts were cut short when Seth heard the front door open. He wondered if the others would mind his presence here. They apparently had accepted Jake into their home without question, so he hoped it wouldn't be a big deal.

He watched as a man came into the living room, heading toward the couch where Esme was seated. He must be Carlisle then, her husband. He didn't seem to be particularly bothered by Seth's presence, so he turned back to the entrance of the living room.

Next to come in was Emmett, he assumed, because the blonde bitch was hanging off his arm like he might run away if she let go. He snorted. He would certainly be running if he had to deal with being involved with someone like _her_.

And last was…

His focus narrowed until he could see only the man in front of him. Nothing and no one else mattered but the vampire with honey-colored hair and golden eyes. If only there was a smile on his face, then everything about him would be perfect.

Seth snapped out of his daze, knowing immediately what had happened. "Well, shit…" he muttered to himself.

He looked back up to the vampire, who he noticed was looking at him oddly. And then he remembered. This was the vampire who could feel other's emotions, which meant that he probably had at least some idea of what was going on.

He sighed…might as well get the introductions over with. "So you're Jasper, yeah?" he asked, again looking the man over.

He _definitely _hadn't expected to imprint on a vampire, even after Jake had. Well, at least now the pack wouldn't be able to try and pass it off as some fluke. Two wolves imprinting on vampires could not be a coincidence.

***

He loved watching Jake sleep, especially since his dreams almost always featured Edward. It was interesting to see what would happen between them in these dreams, as they were almost always sexual. It gave Edward ideas about what to do with Jake when they finally got to that stage in their relationship, and he had no doubt that they would get there.

It had been while Edward was watching Jacob sleep one night that he realized the depth of his feelings for the wolf. He had gotten to know Jake a lot more since he had been staying with Edward's family, and he liked what he saw.

Jake rarely obsessed over the possibility of Edward leaving him anymore. His conversations with Jasper and Seth had helped a lot with his anxiety and self deprecation. The wolf still had moments where he was insecure and afraid of rejection, but they were becoming much less frequent as of late.

Edward had been trying to decide when the right time would be to express his feelings for Jacob, but as stupid as it was, he was afraid. He _knew_ how deep Jake's feelings for him were, but he couldn't stop his own feelings of insecurity from emerging.

It wasn't that he doubted Jacob, but that he doubted himself. He was afraid that he wouldn't be able to keep Jake happy, even though he was the wolf's soul mate. What if Jake had wanted to have a family? Being with Edward made that an impossibility, and he didn't like that at all. He didn't want the wolf to be denied anything that he wanted.

They had never talked about such things, but Edward decided that they would have to at some point. He would do whatever was necessary to keep his wolf happy, even if it meant finding a way for Jacob to have children.

With that decided, Edward returned his attention to a sleeping Jacob. If past experience was anything to go by, Jake would start dreaming soon. He moved closer to the wolf, who was lying on his back, one arm thrown up over his head and the other resting on his flat stomach.

Jacob was beautiful. His russet skin glowed with health, radiating heat like Edward's own personal furnace. His face was softened in sleep, making the wolf appear closer to his true age, when usually he could pass for twenty or older. Silky black hair brushed his forehead, a little short in Edward's opinion, but gorgeous nonetheless.

He was heavily muscled top to bottom, advertising his significant strength. It was a relief for Edward to know that he could get rough with Jacob if he desired it and not hurt him. He was turned on by his wolf's size and stature, which was interesting to him considering Edward was clearly the more dominant in their relationship.

Jake was wearing nothing, covered only by the thin sheet draped tantalizingly low on his narrow hips. Edward had never actually seen Jake completely naked, but he had to admit to some curiosity. He wouldn't peek though, not until Jake was awake and willing. So he contented himself with watching the slow rise and fall of Jacob's chest, and being soothed by the strong heartbeat.

He let his thoughts wander, happy to just be close to the wolf. They had all had quite the shock today, when Seth had unashamedly announced he had imprinted on Jasper. Edward had known what was going on, of course, so the announcement hadn't been totally unexpected, but the rest of the family had been taken completely by surprise.

Everyone had been speechless, except for Rosalie, who had made her opinion on the matter quite clear. 'Stupid fucking mutts invading our family…what'll be next, Emmett's going to leave me for some other dog?' Her pointed glare at her mate had made it quite plain what would happen to him if he did leave her.

Poor Jasper hadn't even known what to feel, as his emotions had already been in turmoil. But when Seth had noticed his wariness, the young wolf had immediately explained that he would be for Jasper whatever he needed, be it friend, brother, etc…

Edward was relieved, to be honest. Jasper would need someone to help him through his loss of Alice, and he thought Seth would be the perfect person to do that. The boy was very enthusiastic, but he could also be sensitive when the situation called for it, and Jasper definitely needed some attention.

Jacob's friendship had helped him some, but Edward had a feeling that just being around Seth and talking to him would ease Jasper's mind. The wolf was very easy to talk to and get along with, so they shouldn't have any problems getting to know one another. And even more reassuring was the fact that Edward knew Seth would do whatever he could to make Jasper happy.

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Yay! *claps* Seth and Jasper have finally met! Moving on…if anyone's confused about when exactly this is all happening, let me know. I haven't been real organized, but if you want me to try and make a timeline, I can do that. I hope you liked the chapter. Please review! ;)


	15. Chapter 15

Title: Unexpected

Author: jwolf11209

Pairings: Edward/Jacob, Alice/Bella, Seth/Jasper

Rating: MA - The story starts off slow, but will heat up eventually.

Warning: M/M, F/F, mpreg, language

Disclaimer: The characters used in this story do not belong to me.

Chapter: 15

Summary: Her thoughts moving away from her romantic problems, Bella wondered about Alice. Her friend had been spending a lot of time with Bella lately, which wasn't odd exactly, but it _was _weird that she never saw Alice and Jasper together anymore.

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Chapter 15

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_Previous Chapter…_

Poor Jasper hadn't even known what to feel, as his emotions had already been in turmoil. But when Seth had noticed his wariness, the young wolf had immediately explained that he would be for Jasper whatever he needed, be it friend, brother, etc…

Edward was relieved, to be honest. Jasper would need someone to help him through his loss of Alice, and he thought Seth would be the perfect person to do that. The boy was very enthusiastic, but he could also be sensitive when the situation called for it, and Jasper definitely needed some attention.

Jacob's friendship had helped him some, but Edward had a feeling that just being around Seth and talking to him would ease Jasper's mind. The wolf was very easy to talk to and get along with, so they shouldn't have any problems getting to know one another. And even more reassuring was the fact that Edward knew Seth would do whatever he could to make Jasper happy.

***

_Earlier in the day…_

The emotions were indistinguishable, all swarming at him from the same direction. But overall, the feeling he was getting from the unknown wolf before him was…well, he couldn't even describe it accurately. But it made him feel like he was the only person who existed in the boy's eyes. And it scared him.

Eyes clearing suddenly, the boy seemed to snap out of his apparent daze. "Well, shit…" the wolf muttered, obviously knowing exactly what was going on, even if Jasper didn't. A look of understanding crossed the young wolf's face, followed by a deep sigh.

"So you're Jasper, yeah?" the wolf asked, his eyes traveling Jasper's body. Jasper nodded, his mind still reeling from the boy's overwhelming emotions.

And then he knew. This young wolf must have imprinted on him. He had felt similar emotions coming from Jake anytime the wolf was near his brother. He had felt Jake's need to be near Edward, his contentment when they were together, and his unmistakable devotion.

Jasper had honestly been jealous of his brother for having someone with such strong feelings for him. He had thought his relationship with Alice was as good as any relationship could be, but the feelings between Jake and Edward had proved him very wrong. His and Alice's feelings for each other had never been _that_ deep, even before she had started pulling away from him.

But none of that changed the fact that he wasn't ready for something like that. He wasn't over Alice, not even close, and the way the young wolf was looking at him made him beyond nervous. And even in spite of that nervousness, Jasper didn't want to hurt the boy's feelings. He didn't know what to do.

"Oh…" the boy suddenly said, momentarily stopping his blatant perusal of Jasper's body. "I'm Seth, by the way," he said, smiling widely and offering his hand to Jasper.

He took the hand, surprised by the warmth seeping into his skin. He should have expected it because of Jake's obviously high body temperature, but Jasper had never actually been close enough to Jacob to touch.

Seth let go of his hand, looking around at the others excitedly. When the warm chocolate eyes made it back to Jasper, the wolf spoke again. "You're my imprint."

Well…this wolf obviously wasn't near as apprehensive about his feelings as Jake was. Jasper honestly had no idea how he was supposed to feel right now. His suspicions had been confirmed about the imprinting, and he wondered what the young wolf, _Seth_, would expect from him.

Jasper ignored the people surrounding them, although he didn't miss Rosalie's scathing opinion on Seth's admission. And no one else said anything, probably just as surprised as Jasper had been. But Jasper didn't miss Seth's twinkling eyes, and it was obvious that the boy found his sister's distain humorous instead of insulting.

He studied the boy warily. He was smaller than Jacob, and obviously younger, though it wasn't obvious what the difference in age was. The wolves seemed to grow so fast that it was impossible to tell. But in Jasper's mind, he couldn't be old enough to enter into any kind of serious romantic relationship. And again he wondered what he was supposed to do with this odd situation.

It wasn't the same for him as it had been for Edward. There was nothing stopping Edward from pursuing a relationship with Jake other than his own insecurities. But Jasper was still in love with Alice, and he wasn't about to jump into anything with some random person, even if he was apparently the boy's soul mate.

Seth, seeming to finally notice his apprehension, quickly turned serious. "You don't need to worry about anything," he informed Jasper. "Imprinting doesn't mean you need to do anything for me that you don't feel comfortable with. I'll be whatever you need me to be, although it would end up kinda bad if you didn't let me see you at all. I mostly just want you to be happy, no matter what I have to do to make that happen."

The wolf could no doubt sense that Jasper was a long way from happy. He wondered if hanging out with Seth would help him at all. Jasper's talks with Jake had definitely done him some good, but that was before Alice had officially ended their relationship. Plus, most of their conversations had been about Jake, not him.

Would Jasper ever be able to love someone else more deeply than he had loved Alice? It seemed unlikely, but he wanted what Edward and Jacob had, even though it was obvious they hadn't confessed their feelings to each other. Even if Jasper hadn't been able to feel it, he could definitely see the depth of their feelings in the way they looked at each other, and their need for physical contact, no matter how small the touch. They didn't even seem to notice they were doing it most of the time.

It was the kind of love that anyone would die for, the kind that lasted beyond forever. It was beautiful, and even though Jasper wanted that for himself, he didn't think he deserved it. Which made him even more wary of the wolf before him.

Seth seemed so happy and full of life. He didn't deserve to be stuck with Jasper, whose self-hatred and bitterness would only bring him down. Jasper didn't deserve any kind of devotion, especially from someone who protected the humans Jasper so desperately desired to kill.

Jasper excused himself from his family, happy to see that Seth didn't seem to take offense at his abrupt departure. He climbed the stairs, heading toward his bedroom to think. He had moved to a room on the third floor, despite Alice volunteering to give up their room. Jasper wouldn't have been able to stay there, surrounded by memories of their time together.

He lowered himself to the floor, laying back on the thick carpeting. He didn't need a bed anymore since he didn't sleep, so the only furniture in the room was a long, leather sofa. Jasper wasn't looking for comfort, though, so the floor was perfect. Staring at the ceiling, Jasper wondered why someone like Seth would imprint on _him_, a complete failure. The young wolf didn't seem like the type of person who would deserve something like that.

But then, Alice hadn't deserved to be stuck with him either. That was probably why she had ended their relationship. Maybe she had finally realized that he would never be as good as anyone else in his family, no matter how hard he tried.

***

_Present…_

She pulled her jacket tighter around her body as the cold wind blew all around. She stood out in her yard, far enough away from the trees that she still felt relatively safe, even in the darkness. Bella had been spending a lot of time outside lately, despite the cold and dreary weather, just thinking.

The breakup with Edward still plagued her, but she hadn't spiraled back down to the zombie-like state she had been in the last time he left her. Having Alice around helped a lot, and talking about her feelings helped, not matter how much she hated doing it. Alice always managed to get her to talk about the things that were bothering her.

Bella didn't think she would be completely ready to move on anytime soon, but Alice was helping her to see that finding someone else to love might be possible. When the Cullen family had moved away, Bella had never even considered being able to fall for anyone who wasn't Edward. But now that she was more rational, she could see how stupid it had been to limit her happiness like that.

She had briefly considered getting into a relationship with Jake, but that would have been to make _him_ happy, not her. And now that didn't even matter, because Alice had let her know that Edward and Jacob were very good for each other.

As she had predicted, Charlie was furious about Edward's leaving her again. But he had calmed down after seeing that she wasn't going to revert back to her former hollow self. Plus, Charlie liked Alice, so there was no way he would forbid her from seeing the _entire _Cullen family.

Of course, she wasn't allowed to hang out with anyone other than at school. Her punishment for running off without telling Charlie exactly where she was going was still in effect. Alice was allowed to come to Bella's house and hang out pretty much whenever she wanted, but other than that, Bella couldn't really do anything with anyone else.

She sighed, staring off into the trees. Bella should probably stop avoiding Edward at school, and just get the awkward conversations over with. She knew he felt bad about how things had ended between them, and he had been giving her the space she needed without complaint.

And Jake was probably worried that she hated him or something, and that didn't sit well with Bella at all. He might seem like a big, strong, unshakeable man, but Jake _had _feelings, and Bella was supposed to be his best friend. She was pretty sure ignoring him wasn't a good quality in a friend, even if he _had_ kind of stolen her boyfriend. It wasn't his fault anyhow, since imprints weren't intentional. Otherwise a boyfriend-stealing friend might be entitled to getting their ass kicked, but obviously be someone much stronger than her, as she would only hurt herself trying.

Her thoughts moving away from her romantic problems, Bella wondered about Alice. Her friend had been spending a lot of time with Bella lately, which wasn't odd exactly, but it _was _weird that she never saw Alice and Jasper together anymore.

The previous week, Bella had noticed that Jasper had skipped at least three days of school. And since the rest of the family had shown up, that hadn't seemed normal to her. Bella had tried asking Alice about it, but the girl had just changed the subject and ignored her question completely.

Maybe that was something she should ask Edward about when she finally decided to talk to him. Jasper and Alice had been together for a long time, and it seemed unlikely that there was something wrong between them. But Bella couldn't think of any other reason for their recent behavior.

Bella wondered what other changes she would have to face over the next few months. There had certainly been enough lately to make anyone wary.

***

The forest was quiet and peaceful, all the animals having scurried away with his presence. He had scoured the trees near Bella's house for any sign of Victoria, but there were no recent traces of her scent. She had apparently made herself scarce for now, but Edward had no doubt that she would be back.

Killing a vampire's mate was not taken lightly, and Victoria would return to seek her revenge. And then Bella would be in great danger, because as far as the female vampire was concerned, killing Bella would be the best way to hurt Edward. What Victoria didn't know was that she would no longer be killing the right person if she went after Bella.

And even though it made him feel horrible, Edward was glad that Victoria had no inkling of his feelings for Jacob. He didn't want Bella hurt, and he would do everything he could to save her, but if that bitch got her hands on Jake…Edward didn't know if he could live through the loss of his young wolf.

He may have gone to Italy seeking death when he thought Bella had died, but his feelings then didn't even compare to what he felt at even the _thought _of losing Jacob. Edward would gladly give himself up to Jacob's pack and let them tear him apart if he couldn't protect what was his. He would deserve it, and they would more than likely enjoy the chance to kill off one of the Cullen's.

And then he thought of Alice. If Edward was to let Bella die, his sister would never forgive him. It was his fault Victoria was after her, since he had been the one to put her in James' sights to begin with. He would therefore protect Bella to the best of his abilities, as would the rest of his family, even though _they _weren't aware of Alice's feelings.

The Volturi would also be a problem, although Edward wasn't certain how soon they would start sniffing around. If Bella and Alice did eventually get together, then Bella would definitely insist on being changed into a vampire. But otherwise, there wasn't a good reason to turn her. And she probably wouldn't want to leave her family behind unless there was a good enough reason for her to do so. Which would mean that Bella's feelings for Alice would have to be of the _happily ever after_ variety.

Another potential problem was the wolves. Would the treaty remain intact even when two members of the pack had imprinted on vampires? And if it didn't, as he and Jake had predicted, what would they think of Bella being changed? Edward hoped they would allow Alice to take Bella away, somewhere where she would be less likely to hurt people. He hoped it wouldn't affect any understanding that they might come to in the coming weeks. There was no way of knowing though, until it happened.

Edward still had a feeling something big was coming. There had to be a reason behind the wolves and vampires being united, or trying to be. Hopefully Jacob's pack would get their heads out of their asses and become allies to his family, and soon, or Edward had a feeling things would turn out very badly for everyone.

He wouldn't start seriously worrying until Alice sensed something was coming though, because she usually gave them at least a bit of time to prepare. Unless the enemy was smart enough to avoid making concrete decisions, then they would be screwed.

But Edward didn't know how they could possibly know to do that. Very few knew about his family's specific gifts, and he was sure that no one would let Victoria in on their secrets. So many things had been going wrong lately, though, that Edward honestly wouldn't be surprised if they did.

Edward prayed to whomever would listen that he wasn't taken away from this world before he was given the chance to show Jacob his love.

* * *

Thanks so much to everyone for the reviews! The chapters are getting harder to write as I try to figure out how to get to the outcome I want, so I'm sorry if the updates don't come quickly. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments, and please review! Thanks!!! ;)


	16. Chapter 16

Title: Unexpected

Author: jwolf_11209

Pairings: Edward/Jacob, Alice/Bella, Seth/Jasper

Rating: MA - The story starts off slow, but will heat up eventually.

Warning: M/M, F/F, mpreg, language

Disclaimer: The characters used in this story do not belong to me.

Chapter: 16

Summary: Edward hoped they could move forward soon. He was finally ready to give Jacob everything, and he was sure his wolf would have no objections.

* * *

Chapter 16

* * *

She was almost giddy as she ran through the dense forest, heading in the direction of La Push. Her brother imprinting on a vampire wasn't actually something that should make her happy, but it gave her a chance to piss Sam off, and _that_ was definitely something to cheer about.

She actually didn't mind the Cullen's so much anymore. Having spent the last few days watching them, she could see that they were pretty friendly, and they had accepted Seth and Jacob right into the family without question. And despite Leah's refusal to go inside the house and her bad attitude, she had found fresh clothes folded neatly on the porch every morning. The motherly vampire had even left meals for her, and Leah figured that Seth must have mentioned her dislike of hunting for her food.

The love the vampires obviously had for each other surprised her. Leah knew that they weren't actually related, but she could tell that the Cullen's loved and supported each other, no matter what. She hadn't really seen much of the male vampires (other than Edward) since they had spent the weekend hunting, but Leah had seen how close the other four were. Even the blonde, who seemed even bitchier than Leah generally acted, seemed to tolerate having Seth and Jacob living with her. She said degrading things to them and scowled constantly, but if she really didn't want to be around them, the blonde could have just left, and she hadn't.

Leah thought that if they didn't dislike each other's respective species so much, she and blondie would probably get along pretty well. They seemed to have similar personalities, but that was just an assumption on Leah's part. Leah liked acting like a bitch to people, but it usually didn't mean that she disliked them, she was just messing around. She made fun of her brother all the time, but everyone knew that she loved him and was very protective of him. Maybe the other girl was the same way? Or maybe the bitch was just self-centered, and didn't care about anyone but herself. Actually, that seemed more likely. The blonde couldn't pass by a reflective surface without gazing at herself.

The trees sped by in a blur, and the wind was a soothing caress over her fur. Leah loved running; it was relaxing, and there was the added advantage that she was the fastest of anyone in the pack. She loved being able to say she was the best at something. Since she was the only girl in the pack, it paid to be able to do something better than the boys.

Seth had planned to tell Sam about the imprint himself, but Leah had convinced him to let her tell him instead. Her brother knew how unhappy she was most of the time, so when Leah had begged him to let her spread the news to Sam, he couldn't refuse her. Leah and Seth's relationship may have seemed like it was full of animosity, but they were actually really close. They helped each other out when they could, and Seth had obviously known how much pleasure Leah would get out of pissing Sam off more than he already was.

When Leah got to La Push, she headed straight for Emily's house, knowing Sam would likely be there. She didn't need to tell the whole pack, and the only reason she was here was to see the look on Sam's face when he was proven wrong about Jacob's _mistaken_ imprinting.

Leah had been keeping track of goings on in the pack since she had been spending most of her time as a wolf, so she was aware that the elders hadn't yet gotten together to discuss Jake's imprinting. She figured Sam had something to do with that. He was probably putting it off so he could find some way to prove that Jacob was wrong. To prove that he hadn't actually imprinted on a vampire.

She knew it was a wasted effort, though. Jake was happier now than she had ever seen him, and that was _without_ knowing his imprint was in love with him. She couldn't imagine how much better things would be for him once the vampire finally admitted his feelings. Leah didn't know how Jacob could possibly miss the love shining in his imprint's eyes every time the vampire looked at him, but Leah had seen it. And she was sure everyone else could see it as well. Why the vampire was afraid to express his feelings, she didn't know.

Ugh…just seeing so many people in love was bringing her down. Leah wished she could find someone to give her the kind of love that Jake had with Edward. Nobody had ever looked at her the way that they looked at each other. It was so sweet, it was almost sickening. And she was so jealous of them she wanted to scream!

And that was just another reason she wanted to piss Sam off. His feelings for her hadn't been strong enough. He had imprinted on Emily, and she had been left all alone, miserable. Leah had been hurt, confused, and heartbroken. No one had been able to explain to her why Sam was suddenly in love with her second cousin, and she hadn't found out until she became a wolf.

It hadn't made her feel better to find out about imprinting. And it had made things even worse to find that she could feel Sam's pity for her. She didn't fucking want pity! Leah wanted someone who would put her first, who would love her unconditionally, who would never leave her for _someone else_! Especially a member of her own family!

Leah knew she was ranting again, but she couldn't help it. Every time she thought of everything she had gone through with Sam, it just pissed her off all over again. And it pissed her off even more that she still had feelings for him! Love, anger, hurt, betrayal…she hated that he could still bring out such strong feelings in her. Sam didn't deserve her love, even if it wasn't his fault that he had imprinted on someone else. He hadn't handled things very well, and he deserved any guilt he felt where she was concerned.

Finally reaching Emily's house, Leah was happy to know that Sam was there, along with a few others. That would make things even more interesting. It was always fun to see Paul freak out, and maybe her new information would help Quil and Embry work up the guts to go and visit Jake. Right now, they had all these conflicted feelings because Jake was their friend and they wanted to see him, but they didn't want to get in trouble with their alpha.

She shed her wolf form in the trees, pulling on a tiny pair of shorts and a tank top that had been tied to her ankle. It sucked to be her. Having to cover up more than the other wolves was very inconvenient. Not that she wanted them to see her naked, but all they had to carry around was a pair of cutoffs. She needed more than one article of clothing, and it was harder to carry them around.

She sauntered into Emily's house, ignoring the strange looks she was receiving. She usually avoided coming here, not wanting to have to endure Sam's lovey dovey shit with Emily, so they were probably just surprised by her presence. But then again, it could be because she hadn't left the Cullen's house since she had found Seth there, and they wanted to know why she had come back to La Push. Well, they were about to find out…

Leah ignored the others, making her way straight to Sam. He looked even more confused than everyone else, most likely because she usually wouldn't seek him out. In fact, she avoided speaking to him directly most of the time, and when she did, her words were far from friendly.

She smiled at him, her eyes sparkling mischievously. This was going to be so fun. "I've got some news for you, oh mighty alpha," she said sweetly, not able to keep the smile off her face. Leah could see how nervous Sam was now. His lips were pressed into a thin line, but his eyes gave away his panic at whatever he thought Leah was about to tell him.

"Can you guess what's happened, Sam, or do want me to just tell you?" she asked, leaning back against the kitchen counter. Leah crossed her arms and ankles, relaxing her body completely. She really didn't want to make this easy on Sam, so she was going to draw it out as long as she could manage.

"What the hell is going on now?" Sam growled, seemingly forcing himself to revert back to the all powerful alpha wolf. He pulled his body into a stance that Leah figured was supposed to be intimidating, but that would never work on her. Leah knew Sam better than almost anyone else, and she could never be afraid of him.

"Guess," she said, baiting him. She took great pleasure in seeing his muscles tense, his usual calm, controlled persona crumbling. His hands clenched into fists, his eyes icy and hard as steel. Still not intimidated, Leah smirked, almost laughing when that seemed to anger him more.

"Just fucking tell me, Leah," he spat. "I'm not in the mood for games!" He stared at her, apparently expecting her to tremble under his fury. _Not working_.

"Why don't you tell me something, Sam," she met that icy stare unflinchingly, unwilling to back down. She didn't even notice the other three wolves gaping at her, and she didn't pay attention to Emily's fast retreat to the back of the house.

"Tell me why you haven't even attempted to set up a meeting with the elders. They have to know about the situation by now, but you haven't made the time to talk to them about it, have you?"

She was getting agitated just thinking about the damage Sam had done to one of their pack members. Leah may not treat Jake all that well, but she knew he didn't deserve everything he had been going through, everything Sam had put him through. Leah had never seen Jake so vulnerable, and he really could have used his family's support during this time. Sam had made that impossible though, and she was angry on his behalf. Their alpha shouldn't have told them to stay away from Jake, it wasn't fair to any of them. Leah didn't even want to think about the fact that she was defending Jake, though. She didn't want anyone to think she had gone soft or something.

Leah didn't even wait for Sam to answer, just continued on with her rant. "I don't even care what you think anymore, because Jake didn't deserve to be isolated from the pack like that. Not for this long. He needed the support of his pack, and you took that away from him even though you should have known there was nothing he could do about his situation!"

She had to pause and get control of herself. It wasn't only Jake she was thinking of now. What if Sam still wouldn't accept the imprints as fact? What if he treated her brother the same way as he had treated Jake? That was not acceptable to her, and it made her even more determined to give the alpha something to think about.

She continued, staring Sam down. "And now you have even more reason to finally set up that meeting, because my brother has imprinted on a vampire, too." She stopped there, watching Sam to see how he would take the news.

Leah's amusement returned as Sam went completely limp with shock. But she didn't give him a chance to say anything. She wasn't going to sit by and watch this time as Sam put off an important meeting due to his damn stubbornness. Leah would not let her brother suffer the same way as Jacob had. It didn't matter that Seth's personality was completely different, or that the abandonment of the pack wouldn't hurt her brother half as much as it had hurt Jacob. They didn't deserve to be cast away from the pack, and she was going to make sure Sam understood that.

"If you treat my brother the same way as you've been treating Jacob, I will personally make your life as miserable as is possible. I may not like the vampires, but even I can appreciate the fact that they have much more compassion and integrity than you apparently do."

Leah stopped, trying not to let her anger get the best of her. She hated having to admit that she no longer viewed the Cullen's as their enemies, but it was true. And she had to make sure everyone in the pack knew it. They had to know that she wouldn't stand by them, _defend_ them, if the vampires didn't deserve her support.

"I have been watching the vampires since I've been at their house, and it's obvious that they aren't the monsters we thought they were. None of them hurt humans, no matter how hard it is for them to resist it. They go against their very nature by feeding on animals instead of humans, but they do it because they are not mindless murderers, and they don't want to hurt people. All of those vampires love each other as family, despite the fact that none of them are actually related. And they accepted Seth and Jacob into their home without a second thought. Can you honestly say that those are the behaviors of monsters? Because I would tend to disagree."

The silence in the room after her heartfelt speech was deafening. They all stared at her in disbelief, their jaws hanging open most unattractively, eyes wide. She rolled her eyes, but was strangely disappointed by the lack of anger on Sam's part. Leah had been hoping to make him lose control, but he actually looked as if he was considering everything that she had said. She supposed that was a good thing, but that didn't remove the disappointment.

And then she looked at Paul, and her good mood was restored. He looked about ready to explode, which wasn't unusual for him. He growled, throwing some words in between the rumbles vibrating through his chest. "Why the fuck is our pack being invaded by blood-suckers?!?!"

Paul stormed out, and it was probably a good idea on his part since phasing in the house would have caused a lot of damage.

She turned back to Sam, meeting his eyes steadily. "Set up a fucking meeting with the elders, Sam, 'cause if you don't, I'll talk to them myself. I'm gonna go now, and I don't want to hear about you forbidding the pack to visit Jacob and Seth again. They don't deserve that, and you have no idea how much damage you did to Jake."

She walked straight out the door, not even waiting for a response. Sam didn't deserve her respect right now, and she wouldn't give it to him until he got his fucking head out of his ass and fixed things.

***

He needed to tell him. Jacob had been doing a lot better lately, but Edward had been watching him closely, and could tell he wasn't completely happy. He knew why. He knew where Jacob's thoughts went every time he thought Edward wasn't paying attention to him. His wolf had finally accepted that Edward wasn't planning on leaving him, but Jacob still had no hope when it came to believing that Edward could love him. Truly love him.

But Edward did feel that way about him. Only Jacob didn't know it, and he would never know it unless Edward worked up the courage to tell him. And Edward didn't know if Jacob would believe him even when he did tell him how he felt. The wolf was more insecure than Edward ever would have guessed before they had gotten to know each other.

None of that mattered, though, because Edward was finally confident in his feelings. He was finally sure that he genuinely loved the wolf, that he wanted to spend the rest of eternity loving him and making him happy. He couldn't let Jacob go on thinking that Edward didn't have any romantic feelings for him. Edward had never felt so much passion for another person in his entire life, and he was looking forward to expressing that to Jacob, both in words and in other, more pleasurable ways.

It was the middle of the night, and Jacob was sleeping peacefully. Edward lay behind him, too lost in his thoughts to pay attention to the erotic dreams his wolf was no doubt enjoying. It was extremely enlightening to be able to see all of Jacob's most secret fantasies reflected in his dreams. It gave Edward confidence that he would be able to please the wolf when they finally were ready to move forward sexually.

Thus far they had only gone as far as making out and heavy petting. Their clothing had never come all the way off, and even when Jacob was naked, his body was always concealed from Edward by the bed sheet. They had explored each other's bodies with their hands, but never with their eyes. Edward hoped they could move forward soon. He was finally ready to give Jacob everything, and he was sure his wolf would have no objections.

He had planned to wait until the morning to share his feelings with Jake, but he was getting more anxious by the moment, and he just didn't think he could wait that long. Edward would have to wake his wolf up, and hopefully Jake wouldn't be too upset once he knew Edward's reason for interrupting his sleep.

Edward brought a hand up to Jacob's face, caressing his jaw softly. The smooth skin was burning hot beneath his palm, spreading warmth through his body and flooding him with arousal. Sometimes it took nothing more than a look or an innocent touch from his wolf to make him rock hard.

He gently turned Jacob's face towards his own, laying a kiss on those gorgeous lips, unable to stop his soft moan as his wolf immediately responded. Edward pulled back, staring into Jacob's sleepy brown eyes. His wolf looked so sexy with his features softened, his hair mussed by sleep. He gave Jacob another soft kiss before meeting his eyes again, rejoicing at the love he found there. Edward wished his Jake was confident enough to be able to see the love in Edward's eyes for what it was, but that obviously wasn't the case. That was about to change, though.

Edward brushed his hand through Jacob's soft black hair, the silky strands softly caressing his fingers. "There's something I need to tell you, Jacob," Edward said, his voice soft, tender. "Are you awake enough to listen?"

His wolf nodded, and Edward brought his hand down to cup Jacob's smooth jaw, caressing the flawless skin with his thumb. "I told you from the beginning that I didn't know if our relationship would ever go anywhere, if I would ever be able to love you the way you want me to."

Jacob's brow creased, his worry plain on his face. Edward smoothed the frown away, moving to peck his wolf's cheek. "Just listen, okay?"

Only when Jacob nodded again did Edward continue. "I only said that because I was afraid that I would delude myself into thinking I was in love again, just like I did with Bella. I didn't want to hurt you by expressing feelings that might not be genuine. I feel bad enough knowing that I hurt her, and I couldn't let the same thing happen with you. But I've never felt this way before, Jacob. I think about you whenever we're not together, and I want to touch you every time you come near me. You make me laugh, and the only thing I care about is making you happy. I want us to be together forever, and I want to spend each day making sure you know how much I love you."

Edward's heart constricted as he saw the tears falling silently down his wolf's face, but he knew they were tears of joy. The fear had disappeared from Jacob's eyes, and it was replaced by such happiness and love that Edward was drawn right in, lost in those beautiful chocolate eyes. Edward brought his face down, clearing the tears away with soft kisses, the salty goodness cleared away by quick swipes of his tongue.

When Jacob had finally composed himself, he framed Edward's face with his hands, and his steady gaze seemed to see straight through to Edward's soul. "I love you," he whispered, and then they were kissing, limbs tangling together, hands searching for bare skin.

The knowledge that they shared such strong feelings for each other, that they had finally expressed them, made their kisses so much sweeter. Being with Jacob, loving Jacob, made his life feel more fulfilling than he had ever thought it could be. His wolf made him feel as if he was just an ordinary person, and not a monster. He had never felt such contentment with his life, never been able to fully accept that he was _good_, until he had seen himself in Jacob's eyes. Those warm brown eyes that told Edward everything he needed to know about Jacob's feelings for him, his admiration of him.

As long as he had Jacob, Edward felt as if nothing could ever bring him down again. As long as those warm brown eyes shined with love for him, Edward would never want for anything ever again. He rolled on top of his wolf, a shudder running through his body as Jacob's heat seared him all the way through. As long as Jacob was with him, loving him, Edward would be happy.

***

Cool skin was molded against his body. They moved together in a sensual dance, hips thrusting, hands roaming. A talented tongue wove it's way through Jacob's mouth, tracing his teeth, his tongue, the roof of his mouth. Jacob was bursting with happiness after listening to Edward's confession of love for him, and knowing his imprint returned his feelings made his arousal all the more intense.

His hand rested on Edward's back, slowly making its way down. Down and dipping beneath Edward's shorts, until he could feel the curve of Edward's sweet, rounded ass, smooth and hard as marble. Edward moaned at his touch, probably unfamiliar with such an intimate place being so thoroughly explored.

And it _was_ thoroughly explored, Jacob tracing the entire expanse of flesh before delving between the cheeks with his fingers. He had never even thought about doing things like this to his imprint, preferring to imagine Edward doing something similar to _him_. But he was curious, and Edward wasn't stopping the hesitant touches, so Jake continued his exploration.

He found Edward's wrinkled entrance, fingering the muscle, hearing Edward's breath hitch. Jacob didn't have much interest in actually fucking Edward, he just wanted to make his imprint feel good. He would leave the penetration to Edward, if and when the vampire was ready for that to happen between them.

His imprint's lean body pressed him down into the mattress, and his body burned with heat despite the iciness of Edward's skin. Jake loved knowing the strength held within that body, when one wouldn't guess it by looking at him. Edward was stronger than Jacob, and they both knew it. They both had their own advantages when it came to the battles between vampires and wolves, but Edward clearly had him beat in brute strength. And he liked it.

He had recently discovered his like for being dominated. Not like the whole whips and chains kind of thing, but he liked it when Edward took the lead, in bed and out. It made him feel safe and protected, even if he didn't really need Edward to protect him.

But right now, with Edward on top of him and letting him explore freely, not dictating his movements, Jake decided that he would like being in charge sometimes too. And Edward didn't seem to mind, so Jake let his exploration continue…

* * *

Sorry for the long wait, but I'm hoping you'll forgive me since this chapter is longer than all the other ones. It might seem odd that most of it is in Leah's point of view, but I wanted everyone to see how she felt about everything and I like her character. Thanks for reading and please review!!! Oh, and thank you to those who have shared your opinions with me, I love to see what my readers think.


	17. Chapter 17

Title: Unexpected

Author: jwolf11209

Pairings: Edward/Jacob, Alice/Bella, Seth/Jasper

Rating: MA - The story starts off slow, but will heat up eventually.

Warning: M/M, F/F, mpreg, language

Disclaimer: The characters used in this story do not belong to me.

Chapter: 17

Summary: He was envious of their relationship, but that didn't mean he was ready to experience something similar. He had spent too many years seeing Alice as his only reason to try and make himself better, only to fail in the end.

* * *

Chapter 17

* * *

Friendship. It was something he desperately needed at the moment, and yet he was afraid to accept someone new into his life. He was meant to be Seth's mate, and even though the young wolf had assured him he wouldn't push Jasper into a relationship, it was still terrifying to consider such a thing. He had thought he and Alice would be together always, and then she had shattered that notion in the blink of an eye.

Their marriage had ended quickly and quietly through his connection to Jason Scott, a very discreet lawyer he'd done business with for more than twenty years. Jasper couldn't understand why Alice would have agreed to marry him when she had known they weren't meant to be together forever.

He knew she had once been in love with him, but marriage was a sacred thing to be shared between two people who had an everlasting love. It wasn't to be taken lightly, and Jasper was more upset about having to end his marriage than anything. Alice knew how he felt about such things, she knew him better than anyone else, so why would she have done something to hurt him so badly? That was what he couldn't understand most of all.

Jasper was inexplicably glad that Seth was too young for a romantic relationship. He didn't want to hurt the wolf by rejecting him, and Seth seemed to be happy with whatever contact Jasper was willing to give him. Which wasn't a lot at the moment due to his fear of letting anyone get close to him. Jasper could deal with having a friendship with Jacob, but only because he knew their relationship would never become anything more.

Having watched his brother's relationship with Jacob progress before his very eyes, Jasper tended to believe there was some validity to the anomaly known as imprinting. Their feelings for each other were like nothing he had ever felt, which was surprising considering the number of years he had been feeling other people's emotions.

He was envious of their relationship, but that didn't mean he was ready to experience something similar. He had spent too many years seeing Alice as his only reason to try and make himself better, only to fail in the end. He wasn't better. He still wasn't able to control himself as every other member of his family did. Jasper didn't deserve to feel something so rare and beautiful, even if he _were_ ready to move on after the abrupt end to his marriage.

But Seth, he knew, would disagree with Jasper's view of himself wholeheartedly. The young wolf didn't have a mean bone in his body. His emotions were all happiness and light. Jasper was soothed by his mere presence, and that scared him most of all. How was he supposed to keep from becoming attached when Seth made him feel so good just by being near him? Again, Jasper was confused by his own feelings.

On one had, he wanted to remain distant with Seth in order to avoid being hurt again, because despite his heart being broken, Jasper believed that he could easily fall for Seth once he was a bit older.

But on the other hand, he wanted to be near the young wolf as much as possible, because Seth's youthful exuberance and unending goodness eased his mind as nothing else ever had. Seth was the most untainted person Jasper had ever met, and even though Jasper didn't deserve to be loved by a person so much better than him, he believed that Seth's companionship could change him in ways Alice's love was never able to. He could actually imagine becoming someone Seth could be proud of. Jasper had never even imagined being able to master his craving for human blood, but he truly believed he could do it with Seth's help.

And when he thought of things that way, Jasper had to admit that Alice leaving him might have been the best thing for both of them. He still couldn't understand some of her actions, but if both of them were better off in the end, Jasper thought he might be able to forgive her someday.

But that day wasn't today. He had taken to hiding out in his room whenever she was actually home, which wasn't often since she seemed to be spending most of her time with Bella these days. Sometimes Jacob or Seth kept him company to make sure that he didn't spend that time wallowing in his own misery.

Now that Edward had finally confessed his feelings to Jacob, the wolf was almost as ridiculously happy as Seth. The only difference was that Seth's feelings never seemed to falter. He took things as they came, and made the most out of whatever life threw his way. It was inspiring.

And as he thought about Seth, yet again, Jasper realized that it might already be too late. He didn't want Seth to go anywhere, because then Jasper might never find someone who could help him become a better person, or _vampire_ as the case may be. If he pushed Seth away, he would never be able to find the kind of love that Seth could eventually give him, when they were both ready.

He still hurt over Alice, but Seth had already helped him in so many ways. He just couldn't deny that the wolf was a good influence on him.

***

He stood in the middle of a pharmacy in Port Angeles, looking at the huge selection of lubrication. How was anyone supposed to know which one to choose? He didn't know if there were certain kinds meant for anal sex or if any of them would work. But he didn't want Jacob to get hurt if he chose the wrong thing, so he stood there, studying them.

A voice interrupted his perusal. "Hey handsome, you need some help?" Edward turned in the direction the voice had come from, finding a short young man. He was gorgeous, if you liked an androgynous, effeminate kind of guy, which Edward definitely did _not_. He much preferred tall, dark, handsome and muscular guys who could wrap him up in fiery heat.

Edward smiled, deciding to take the boy's offer of help. He was old enough that he was very rarely embarrassed by anything anymore, and he didn't find anything wrong with buying items such as these. "Do you know which are the best brands of lubrication?" he asked, still smiling.

The boy looked taken aback at his bold question, but recovered quickly. He sidled up to Edward's side, invading his personal space. "Sure honey, but it depends on what you're using it for," he said, looking up at Edward through his long, dark lashes.

Edward wondered if there were many men who would hit on strangers in places such as this, especially when it was other men they were searching for. He imagined such a thing would be kind of dangerous. Either this boy was very brave, or very stupid. But Edward wasn't going to spoil his fun, at least not yet. The boy was obviously searching for someone to hook up with, but Edward wasn't going to be that person.

He didn't betray how uncomfortable he was with the boy's nearness, deciding he would get the best information by continuing the charade. He gave the boy a charming grin, leering at him playfully. "Are there certain types of lubrication that should be used for anal play?" Edward asked, giving the boy a bold perusal.

The boy smiled up at him, clearly entranced. Then he reached out, grabbing one of the bottles off a nearby shelf. "This is the best in my opinion," he said, handing the selected lube over to Edward. "My name is Lucas, by the way."

"Thank you for helping me, Lucas," Edward said sincerely. "I don't have any experience with anal sex, and I was really worried I would hurt my lover if I bought the wrong thing." And so saying, he broke the ruse, not wanting to lead the boy on anymore.

The boy pouted prettily, looking up at Edward with large, hazel eyes. "Damn," he lamented. "The best looking guys are always taken…or straight." Lucas' pout disappeared then, and he smiled again. "Whoever he is, your lover is really lucky to have someone who cares enough to go out and buy the right supplies. Some guys wouldn't bother, even if it meant hurting their partner."

"Thank you," Edward replied, grateful that the boy hadn't taken his rejection badly. "But nobody should have to experience pain in something meant to be pleasurable. Oh, and my name is Edward." How rude of him not to have given the boy his name, especially after Lucas had helped him so much.

"You're right," Lucas said, smiling sweetly. "It was nice to meet you, Edward. Good luck with your lover." The boy gave him a saucy wink, then turned and walked away, off to find his next victim.

Edward chuckled. He didn't think he had ever met someone quite like Lucas, but he couldn't deny liking the boy. Maybe they would meet again someday, he thought. It could be fun introducing him to Jacob.

With that thought in mind, Edward listened for the boy's thoughts, wanting to know if he wanted to talk again sometime in the future. He grabbed a couple more bottles of the chosen lube, and headed off to pay for them. Afterwards, he hurried to catch up with Lucas, determined to get the boy's phone number.

Maybe if he and Jacob were lucky, Lucas would be able to give them more advice. It could be helpful, seeing as neither of them had a lot of sexual knowledge, especially when it came to _gay_ sex.

***

She had expected to feel this way. That was what Alice kept telling herself whenever the depressing thoughts crept into her mind. She had expected to feel the guilt that came with leaving Jasper. He had always been so dependent on her when it came to keeping control of his urges, and she had just left him all alone with very little notice.

Yes, she knew their relationship was meant to be over, and she was even more sure of that fact now that Jake's pack mate had imprinted on Jasper. She had _seen_ the telling blankness in Jasper's future that told her she had made the right decision. He would have ended up with Seth whether or not Alice had left him.

But that didn't make her feel better, because Jasper was suffering _now. _Whenever Alice made an appearance at home, Jasper would disappear, either to his room or into the forest. Sometimes Jacob or Seth would follow him, and she took comfort in the fact that they were helping him through this hard time.

But no one was helping _her_! She hated to sound so selfish, but even though she had been the one to end their relationship, and she was the one whose feelings had changed, she felt as though she had lost something irreplaceable. And she _had_, because she would never meet another person like Jasper, and her years with him had been wonderful, despite both their hardships.

Her family understood her actions, and they would never condemn her for them, but their attention had been focused solely on Jasper lately. She couldn't blame them for that, because it was obvious that he needed their support. And it was her fault anyhow, because she hadn't let anyone know about her conflicted feelings.

She had been censoring her thoughts whenever she was home, faking her usual peppy attitude, and she never stayed long enough for anyone to call her on it. Alice spend most of her time with Bella, who she knew had noticed the change in her, but Alice didn't know what to tell her. What would she say when Bella asked why she had ended her relationship with Jasper? Bella wasn't ready to hear Alice's true reasons yet, so how could she possibly explain her sudden change in feelings? That was why Alice had avoided talking about Jasper. She couldn't tell Bella about the end of their relationship until she figured out a way to tell Bella _why_ she had ended it.

The depression had started pressing in on her since the ending of her marriage, but Alice was pushing it back as best she could. She had to stay strong in order to build her relationship with Bella, and her friend wasn't ready yet to be what Alice needed. Bella still hadn't found the courage to speak with Edward, and that would only be the first step for the girl to start moving on with her life.

Alice knew that Bella had been thinking about it. They had talked about Bella's feelings often enough that Alice had a clear view of how her friend was dealing with things. She was doing remarkably well, considering how her relationship had ended. Not everyone could say that their boyfriend had left them for their _male _best friend. In fact, Alice was willing to bet that most people couldn't say that.

Now if only Alice could get her own emotions sorted out. To make matters more difficult, Alice had been _seeing_ glimpses of the future, but they changed far too often to know what was going to happen. All she knew was that something was coming, and it would put all of them in danger.

She didn't know exactly why, but Alice had a feeling that they would need the wolves to help them in this fight. There was something that required extra protection, but she couldn't _see_ what it was. She only knew that they would be fighting to protect something very important, and losing was not an option.

Alice hadn't mentioned her visions to her family yet, knowing that they still had some time to prepare. The enemies kept changing their plans, but she could _see _that they were building something. And until they were finished, no attack would come.

She decided to head over to Bella's house, having been wandering through the forest aimlessly the past few hours. Since she couldn't share her thoughts with anyone at the moment, Alice had taken to wandering off to be alone. It helped to be able to let her thoughts go where they may, and she didn't have to sensor her emotions or expressions either. It was so hard to maintain her happy exterior, but she couldn't let anyone see beneath it just yet.

Alice took deep breaths, trying to pull herself together before she reached her friend's house. Charlie answered the door when she knocked, and she gave him a bright smile.

"Hello, Charlie!"

He stepped back to let her in, holding the door open for her. "Hi, Alice. Bella's up in her room."

"Thanks, Charlie," she said, already heading up the stairs.

She found Bella staring out her bedroom window, and she just stood and watched for a moment, admiring the girl she loved. Alice was off to the side, able to see Bella's profile, but the girl didn't seem to have noticed her presence.

Long brown hair framed a heart-shaped face. From Alice's position it looked as if her friend was thinking very hard about something. She could tell from the set to Bella's jaw and the furrow in her brow that something was bothering her. Bella was probably trying to figure out what was going on.

Alice had been acting strangely (even she could admit that), Edward was looking more happy than usual, Jasper still wasn't going to school, and Rosalie was being a total bitch (even to her family, which actually was _not_ normal). Alice had noticed Bella watching the table where the rest of the Cullen family sat, and she figured her friend must have noticed the changes. The only one who wasn't acting oddly was Emmett, which wasn't unusual since it was very difficult to upset him. How else could he have dealt with Rosalie's attitude all these years?

She perched on the end of the bed, purposely putting herself in Bella's line of sight. "Hi, Bella," she said brightly, making her friend jump, looking over at Alice wide-eyed.

"Don't scare me like that, Alice," Bella admonished her. "You know how I hate it when people sneak up on me."

Alice just grinned, unrepentant. "What were you thinking so hard about?"

* * *

First of all, thanks for all the reviews, and I'm sorry it's been taking me so long to post. It's much harder to get chapters out when I have more than one story to write, but I don't want to give up on any of them, so hopefully you'll stick with me. You probably noticed that I introduced a new character into the story, and it might seem kind of weird, but I'm planning to use him later on, so hopefully you'll like him. Thanks so much for reading, and please review!


	18. Chapter 18

Title: Unexpected

Author: jwolf11209

Pairings: Edward/Jacob, Alice/Bella, Seth/Jasper

Rating: MA - The story starts off slow, but will heat up eventually.

Warning: M/M, F/F, mpreg, language

Disclaimer: The characters used in this story do not belong to me.

Chapter: 18

Summary: He couldn't help but still be cautious. It wasn't that he didn't believe the vampire loved him, because Jacob could see in Edward's eyes that it was true. He just had a hard time accepting that such a beautiful and caring man would want _him_.

Author's Note: I know what you're thinking. _Oh my God, finally!_ I totally agree…I really wanted to just get this chapter finished and I'm really sorry it took so long! Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 18

* * *

She didn't yet have a concrete plan. It might be worrying for some, to be without some solid knowledge of how they would attack, but she had time. Time was one thing that she had an abundance of. The problem was that she had no way of getting the girl alone in order to take her. The Cullen's were back in Forks now, and the girl would not be without protection.

Of course, she reminded herself, the girl hadn't been without protection even _before_ the Cullen's return. She growled, thinking of the beasts that must have killed Laurent. She had picked up their scent, as well as that of vampires, near the girl's home, so it was safe to assume that she would not survive a lone attack.

And they were expecting her to attack, so there was little chance that she would have the element of surprise on her side. The girl's protection would not lessen as the days went by. It was safe to assume that the girl was rarely left alone, based on the fact that the beasts _and_ the Cullen's both seemed to have an interest in protecting her. How did a mere _human_—weak and pathetic creature as she was—manage to endear herself to so many higher beings? It was disgusting! Ugh…

Her only problem was that she didn't have anyone she could go to for help. And she hated the fact that she even _needed_ help, but with so many people on the lookout for her, it would be impossible to accomplish her mission without anyone at her side.

In order to help herself, she would be forced to ask for help. But to do that, she would need to find someone who wanted revenge just as much as she did. Someone who had a vested interest in hurting the Cullen's. She didn't care how many of them went down, so long as the girl went first and Edward lived to mourn her death.

xoxo

Hearing a car on the road, Jacob gazed out the front window, hoping the car would slow and turn into the Cullen's drive. Disappointed, he slumped back into the sofa when the car drove past, music fading as it got further down the road. Where was Edward? School had ended almost an hour ago, and he still wasn't home. Emmett had mentioned something about Edward leaving school early to run some errands, but why wouldn't Edward have told Jacob he would be home late? Didn't his imprint know how painful it was for Jacob to be away from him for so long?

He had given up watching out the window by the time Edward finally got home. Jake was slouched on the plush white sofa, glumly staring at the television while some innocuous reality show blazed across the screen.

Jacob looked up when Edward came to stand directly in front of him, blocking the television set. Edward probably wondered why Jake hadn't met him outside, as he usually would. His eyes must have betrayed his worry and vulnerability, because in the next instant, Edward had taken the place beside him on the sofa and pulled Jake right into his lap. Jacob closed his eyes and sighed as he snuggled back against Edward's cool, marble chest, happy to be in his imprint's arms after having spent the last few hours worrying about his absence.

He couldn't help but still be cautious. It wasn't that he didn't believe the vampire loved him, because Jacob could see in Edward's eyes that it was true. He just had a hard time accepting that such a beautiful and caring man would want _him_. That Edward would make a promise to spend the rest of their lives together, their _very long_ lives. Jake had made sure to mention that as long as he continued shifting, he would cease to age, and even that hadn't made his imprint reconsider the had promised to love him forever, and he meant it.

Jacob truly had no idea where all the insecurity was coming from. He hadn't always had such strong doubts about himself, but the depth of his feelings for Edward seemed to bring everything to the surface. He couldn't push the feelings down, and he couldn't hide them from his imprint, no matter how ridiculous they were.

He closed his eyes and tilted his head to one side as he felt the sweet kisses being spread across his neck and shoulders, bringing his hands up to cling to Edward's, which were wrapped around his stomach.

Jake was finally able to relax, now that his imprint was home and holding him close. Now that he knew Edward hadn't left him. He had been able to feel the distance between them, his chest aching more and more as the number of miles separating them increased. They hadn't been so far apart since before he had imprinted on Edward.

And Jacob had a feeling that the pain wouldn't have been so great had Edward told him he would be leaving town. But since he hadn't known, since he didn't have any guarantee that Edward would return to him, Jake hadn't been able to stop himself from panicking. He hadn't been able to assuage the feeling that his imprint was leaving him. It had taken everything he had to stay seated on the sofa, to keep from going after his imprint. The need to bring Edward back to him had been so strong; it almost felt like a compulsion.

"I bought something for you," Edward whispered in his ear, nipping the lobe lightly before continuing his ministrations on Jake's neck and shoulders.

"Really?" Jake warmed a little at the notion Edward had been thinking of him, even if he hadn't thought to let Jake know about the impromptu trip. Maybe there was a reason his imprint hadn't told him.

"Mmmhmm..." Edward mumbled, not removing his mouth from Jake's skin.

Jake loved how affectionate his imprint was, even when his family was nearby. It showed Jake just how serious Edward was about him, that he wasn't afraid to let others see their love. He knew it would probably be different in public, but that didn't matter. Everyone important in their lives was aware of the relationship, which was all Jake really cared about.

One of Edward's hands slipped out from beneath his own, and Jake felt his imprint digging for something in his pants pocket. His gift, most likely. Jake couldn't wait to see what his imprint had gotten for him. But he stayed still, unwilling to move away from Edward even long enough to see what it was the vampire had bought for him.

The hand reappeared as Edward shifted Jake on his lap enough to be able to see his face. Now seated sideways, Jake eyed the closed fist of his imprint's hand curiously, wondering what it could possibly be hiding.

"Hold out your hand," Edward whispered, his sweet breath whispering across the side of Jacob's face. Jake turned his head, unable to resist the urge to kiss his mate, to taste him. Edward obliged him, but only for a moment before nudging Jake's arm, reminding him of the request.

And then his fingers were closed around the gift. The material was soft, and yet the way it was knotted together made it seem tough. A cool figure-eight broke the knots apart, and did that symbol really represent what he thought it did?

He opened his hand, revealing three strips of dark leather twisted together in a complicated series of knots. The center of the bracelet looked to be made of jade, the soft green color nicely complimenting the combination of dark skin and darker material. He met his imprint's eyes, delighted by the gift, but questioning its meaning. And as always, Edward was quick to reassure him.

"I thought it might be easier for you to be away from me if you had a tangible symbol of my love for you," he said, and Jake could tell that Edward was anxious for his reaction to the gift. That just made its meaning all the more clear.

"And to answer your earlier question, the symbol in the center means 'infinity'. I want you to remember that I've promised to love you always, and if you find yourself doubting that and I'm not there to show you, I want you to have something to remind you of my devotion."

Edward's words might have sounded mildly corny, were it not for the love and sincerity shining openly in his imprint's eyes. It was obvious that Jake was disgustingly insecure, and no matter how stupid it was for him to feel that way, he couldn't make it stop. And strange as it might be, Jake thought that the bracelet might just help him to stay moderately sane in Edward's absences. Hopefully. Well, at least the short-term ones.

He turned in Edward's lap, moving so that he was straddling his imprint's waist. Nuzzling his face into Edward's neck, Jake inhaled deeply, the vampire's scent moving through his body like a drug, making his blood boil and his skin tingle.

Tangling the fingers of one hand in Edward's hair, the other finding the hem of his shirt, Jake maneuvered his imprint into a kiss. He kept it soft at first, teasing, dragging his mouth away when Edward tried to deepen the kiss and moving his lips down along his jaw.

Silky bronze hair slid through his fingers, making him yearn to feel that soft hair tickling his whole body. But that could wait, because right now all he wanted was to taste Edward's skin, to take in his imprint's sweet scent and taste and forget all of his irrational fears. To show the vampire how happy he was with his gift.

Their lips met again, and this time it was sloppy and wet, their tongues tangling together, and their teeth nipping at lips. Jake pulled himself closer, needing the contact, hard chests meeting, fire against ice, and he knew that kissing could never be this good with anyone else. Edward was his one and only. There would never be anyone else, had never been anyone else, who made him feel the way that Edward did. It took no more than a look to make his heart race and his skin heat.

He ground against Edward's abdomen, groaning at the friction. He could feel his imprint's hand on his ass, urging him on, clearly seeking friction for himself as well.

"Uhhh…" It was so good, being with Edward like this. He could come just from the kissing and the rubbing, no problem. Even with the barriers of clothing in the way, it just felt so good. Jacob's burning hot and Edward's icy cold skin transferred through the layers, adding to the sensations.

"Do you have to do such disgusting things with Dog Breath in the _living room_? Did it occur to you that the sane members of this family might not want to see such a horrifying display? _Fucking stupid mutt…_" Rosalie continued on to the door, slamming it closed behind her, muttering what sounded like obscenities even after she was out of the house.

Jake and Edward didn't pause in their _display_, but Edward must have decided he wanted some privacy, because he stood up from the sofa, Jake held securely in his arms, and raced to their bedroom.

Before they were even comfortably situated on the bed, Edward on top of him, Jacob flipped them, already sure of where he wanted this encounter to go. The vampire didn't protest, just continued to kiss him, trailing cool hands down his back and over his ass, a tingling path following wherever those hands touched.

Jacob dragged his mouth away from Edward's reluctantly, not willing to wait any longer for more. More touching, more pleasure, more skin, just _more_. He brought his hands up to the collar of his imprint's shirt, tearing it open, buttons flying everywhere. Jake wanted skin, wanted to kiss and lick and suck his way down Edward's body until he reached that special place that he hadn't even gotten to _see _yet.

He had touched, they had both touched each other, but they had never been naked together, and Jacob was about to rectify that.

Even after the button-down was gone, there was still an undershirt in the way of the skin he so desperately wanted, so Jake tore that open too, discarding the scraps of fabric over the side of the bed.

Edward was breathing faster, which didn't really make a lot of sense since it wasn't even necessary for him to breathe, but Jake assumed it meant that his imprint was turned on by his display of strength. That was a good thing. Jake looked up to find Edward's golden eyes, almost surprised by the heat and longing he found there. He loved to see how much the vampire desired him, but it surprised him every time. He just couldn't wrap his head around the fact that Edward wanted him so much. He had never expected that someone would have such strong feelings for him. It was an unbelievable feeling, to have that look directed at him.

Breaking the hot stare, Jake went to work on his imprint's neck, licking and biting and sucking until Edward was writhing beneath him, pushing his hips up against Jacob's sweat-dampened body and making these sounds in the back of his throat that sent waves of heat crashing through Jacob. He made his way down Edward's chest, stopping every now and then to concentrate on a particular spot, wanting to hear more of those stimulating sounds.

He spent a particularly long amount of time on Edward's nipples, which seemed to be especially sensitive to his ministrations. Every nibble and lick made his imprint cry out, arching up, trying to get closer to Jake's mouth. It was gratifying to see the usually reserved Edward so out of control of his own actions. It was also arousing, making Jake want to move this along _now_, but he had more control than that, and no matter what his body was telling him, his mind knew that he wanted this to last.

Jake moved back and forth between the vampire's nipples, reveling in Edward's shouts and whimpers, not wanting to stop his assault if it meant those sounds would go away. But he wanted something else more, and he wasn't going to allow Edward to stop him this time.

Well, he_ would_ stop if his imprint told him to, of course he would, but he honestly didn't think that would happen. Not this time, not when every fiber in his being was telling him that it was right, that they were ready to move forward sexually.

They had been taking it slowly, moving ahead one step at a time. This would actually be more than one step, but he didn't think it would be too much for them. Even after this, there would still be things to work toward, things that they hadn't done yet. And those things would wait until he had this feeling again, until his body ached for those yet unachieved acts.

He traced a path from Edward's ribs downward with his hands, no doubt leaving a trail of fire in his wake. Jake had always loved the differences in their skin temperatures. The contrast increased sensation and made everything feel so much more…just _more._

Following that downward path with his mouth, pressing soft kisses against the cool skin, Jake stopped when he reached the top of Edward's pants. Tucking his fingers beneath the waistband, Jake tongued the smattering of hair leading down from Edward's navel, following the path over and over again. He thrilled inwardly as his imprint pushed his hips up against Jacob's face, silently asking for more of his mouth.

Seeking to oblige, Jake moved to unbutton and unzip the pants, his hands trembling almost uncontrollably due to his anticipation and excitement. He licked at the skin as it was revealed, noting that while Edward had more body hair than he did, there wasn't a lot by any means. And _hey_…_no underwear_! He paused when he felt Edward's hands tangle in his hair, trying to tilt his head up. He met his imprint's eyes, seeing the questions in those golden depths. Not wanting to break the intimacy between them with words, Jake silently asked his own questions, not wanting to move further without _knowing_ that his imprint would be okay with this next step.

xoxo

This was going way beyond the point Edward had expected it to when he had carried Jacob up to their bedroom. They had been taking things slow, moving forward only when they both were sure it was the right time, and obviously Jake thought he was ready for more…a _lot_ more.

He knew what Jacob wanted, knew what he was planning, and he just wanted to be sure that this was the right time. He needed to see in the wolf's eyes that he was truly ready for this next step before allowing him to continue. Edward was ready, had been secretly thinking about this for awhile, and now that it was actually going to happen, he almost couldn't believe that their relationship had progressed so quickly in such a short amount of time.

Edward looked into those gorgeous brown eyes that were questioning him and pleading with him, and he couldn't deny that Jacob wanted this as much as he did, maybe even more. He nodded his consent, stroking his fingers through the silky hair beneath them, following the movement of Jake's head as it again lowered to his groin.

He closed his eyes, trying to catch his breath. No one had ever done this for him before, so it would be truly special for both of them. Edward knew that he and Jacob would be sharing a lot of firsts together, and that was how it should be. Neither of them had ever felt about another person how they felt about each other, and he couldn't even imagine losing his virginity to anyone else.

Edward had never even gotten close to losing it to anyone else. The only thing he had ever done with Bella was kiss, and even those didn't compare to the kisses he shared with Jacob. Even thinking about the way he had led her on, even though he hadn't known the truth about himself, made him feel horrible. He wasn't going to think about that now, though. He couldn't let those thoughts ruin this time with Jacob.

Jacob, who was slowly pulling down his pants, who was kissing and licking the hair just above his…_oh, fuck!_ Edward had never felt anything like this, had not even imagined it was possible to be this turned on, and Jake hadn't even touched his cock yet. It was surging toward his mouth, trying to get some attention, but Jake just moved around it, making sure he licked or kissed or touched every inch of skin around that area without ever actually making contact. It was _maddening_ and arousing and Edward didn't ever want it to stop!

He could feel Jacob's hands on his hips, holding him down easily even when he was trying so hard to move enough to get that mouth on his cock. And that made him even hotter, because he loved that he didn't have to worry about Jake getting hurt if he ever lost control while they were doing this. He had no doubt that it would happen eventually, and Jake would be right there with him, his strength enough to prevent any serious injury.

When Jake finally turned his attention to Edward's more than obvious erection, the first thing he did was drag the tip of his tongue up the entire length, and even just that light touch was enough to send a shudder through Edward's entire body and bring out a sound that might be embarrassing if Edward wasn't so turned on he didn't even give a shit. Edward pushed himself up to rest on his elbows, not wanting to miss watching his lover's mouth on his cock.

Jacob grinned up at him, obviously pleased with himself and the response he was able to get out of Edward. The fire in Jacob's eyes sent a wave of heat through Edward's body, making his cock twitch hard enough to snag the wolf's attention once again.

That long talented tongue wrapped around the head of his cock, dragging its way around the width until the tip was right at his slit, stopping to flick at it a few times. Jake's mouth was so _hot_, and his tongue was just…_oh, shit!_

And then Jake just swallowed the whole damn thing and _fuck_, he must have no gag reflex at all! Edward sincerely hoped that his family had taken a hint and vacated the house, because he really didn't want them to be around to witness the noises he was making. And then Jake was flicking his tongue along the length inside his mouth and humming and stroking Edward's balls at the same time and Edward decided that he didn't really care who heard him as long as his wolf didn't stop touching him.

It took an embarrassingly short amount of time for Jake to bring Edward to the edge. He could feel his thighs tensing, a tingle travelling down to the base of his spine, his balls drawing up close to his body, and he hoped Jacob knew what that meant, because he really wasn't coherent enough right now to give any kind of warning.

But then Jake was sucking even harder, rubbing a finger against the sensitive skin right behind Edward's sac and _fuck,_ he was coming! His body jerked uncontrollably over and over again and it seemed as if it would never end. Jake kept his mouth where it was, gently coaxing Edward through the orgasm. And then he was spent and _damn_ did he have to show Jacob what that felt like!

He dragged his wolf up his body and flipped them, ending up cradled between Jacob's spread legs. It was only then that he noticed the state of the bed. The comforter and sheets were torn to shreds on one side of the bed, and there were holes dug into the mattress from his fingers. His other hand had been in Jacob's hair, but it didn't seem to have done any damage, which was just…_strange. _Even when he hadn't been aware of what he was doing, he hadn't hurt Jacob. He hadn't even pulled out any of the wolf's _hair_! He didn't think that could be a coincidence.

Edward was brought out of his musings when Jacob dragged his head down for a deep, passionate kiss. He could taste himself in his wolf's mouth, which was strangely arousing. Arousing enough to remind Edward that he wanted to return the favor. He started to work his way down Jake's body, but then his wolf was telling him no. _No?_ Was he kidding?

He looked up Jacob's body, confused. Why didn't Jake want him to…

And then he saw that his wolf was blushing. Blushing? Well…_that_ was unusual. He tilted his head, curious as to _why_ Jake would possibly be embarrassed after the things they had just done. Jake licked his lips, probably a nervous gesture, but it brought Edward's attention to his mouth all the same.

"I came when I was…" Jake made some vague hand gesture, obviously alluding to his recent oral attentions.

He looked embarrassed, but Edward couldn't figure out how Jake could think it was anything but flattering for Edward to know that Jake had come while he was…

It made him hot just thinking about the fact that giving Edward pleasure was arousing enough for Jacob that he could come just from _that_! And just like that he was up and ready to go again.

He smiled up at his wolf, and then he was mouthing along Jacob's muscular chest, pausing every now and then to scrape his teeth against the soft skin. He growled when Jake released a soft whimper, continuing his explorations. And Edward was pretty sure it didn't matter that they had both already come.

"Then I'll just have to get you ready again, won't I?"

xoxo

The forest was quiet, the animals frightened away by the mere presence of such a great predator. He crept along behind, staying far enough back to avoid being noticed. Of course, in normal circumstances it would be nearly impossible to sneak up on a vampire, especially one with such special abilities.

Seth assumed that Jasper was too occupied with his own emotions to take notice of anyone else's. If fact, all of his imprint's senses seemed to be focused inwardly. Jasper was wandering aimlessly through the forest, not paying attention to anything. Seth wouldn't have followed if he thought Jasper would be able to work through his problems by himself. It was beyond obvious that he couldn't, though. He had issues that he would never be able to overcome on his own.

It was apparent that not even Alice had been able to help him. And her leaving Jasper had probably made things even worse for him. Seth couldn't blame her though, because he sensed that Alice had problems of her own, and he knew she wouldn't have left Jasper if she didn't believe it was the best thing for both of them. Seth knew she still cared for Jasper, and he knew she felt terrible for breaking his heart.

Seth may not be able to read other people's minds or emotions, and he certainly couldn't see the future, but he had always been good at reading people. He would have thought vampires would be more difficult to figure out, but that didn't seem to be the case.

One of the reasons he had refused to judge the Cullen family before meeting them, despite their vampirism, was that he knew it wasn't right. Yes, his pack was created to protect their tribe from vampires, but not vampires who weren't doing anything to hurt them.

The Cullen's didn't drink human blood, and they made sure not to hunt in the same area too often in order to preserve the wildlife. They stayed away from La Push, and Seth saw no real reason to fear them. If they had done something to violate the treaty, Seth would be able to understand his tribe's prejudice against them, but they never had, and it wasn't fair to treat them like mindless blood-sucking animals when they weren't.

Seth knew that it was difficult for the Cullen's to live the way they did. Not necessarily because they spent so much time resisting the urge to attack humans, but because they were different from others of their kind, and it was probably difficult for some to understand that. His theory was proven by the fact that Bella was being stalked by a vampire. And it wasn't even the first time it had happened.

He had been told that the vampire called James was fascinated by her. Not only did her blood smell sweeter than most humans', but she was being protected by a coven of vampires. His obsession led to a near-death experience for Bella, and had helped along Edward's eventual decision to leave Forks, along with his family.

And now Bella was in danger again, all because the Cullen's protection had led to a twisted vampire's obsession and the death of said vampire, who happened to be the mate of the female vampire now stalking Bella.

Yeah, so the Cullen's didn't have it easy, and apparently neither did their acquaintances.

But his poor Jasper had it worse than most of the others. He was drowning in guilt and shame and a multitude of other self-destructive emotions. As long as he was blaming himself for his inability to control his blood-lust with as much ease as the others and as long as he continued to beat himself up over his almost-attack at Bella's birthday bash, and as long as he continued to think he didn't deserve to be loved, Jasper would never be able to heal.

He never would heal, unless he allowed Seth to help him. Seth truly believed that he would be able to help Jasper see the truth about himself. He didn't care how long it took; weeks, months, years…hell, even decades! It didn't matter, because Seth would never give up on his imprint. Jasper needed him, even if he couldn't yet accept that fact.

Seth knew he didn't have all the information he needed. There were things from Jasper's past that haunted him, as well as the more recent self-considered failures. It just didn't make sense that Jasper would be so down on himself unless there were demons from his past that, even now, wouldn't let him out of their clutches. Seth had been told several times that he was easy to talk to, and he hoped that this would help Jasper to be more comfortable around him. Comfortable enough to confide in him. Comfortable enough to let Seth in. And eventually, comfortable enough to accept Seth's love.

* * *

This took way longer than I meant it to, but I think this chapter is longer than most of the others, so hopefully that will make up for the wait a little bit. I'm really not sure why, but I just couldn't get into the flow of writing this chapter, so I had to wait until it came to me. Sorry for making you all wait, I hope you like it. Please let me know what you think!


	19. Chapter 19

Title: Unexpected

Author: jwolf11209

Pairings: Edward/Jacob, Alice/Bella, Seth/Jasper

Rating: MA - The story starts off slow, but will heat up eventually.

Warning: M/M, F/F, mpreg, language

Disclaimer: The characters used in this story do not belong to me.

Chapter: 19

Summary: With that thought, Jasper stopped, only then looking around and realizing that he had been paying absolutely no attention to his surroundings. Where his feet were taking him hadn't seemed overly important in the face of his overwhelming guilt.

Author's Note: I seriously just finished writing this tonight, so I hope its okay. I honestly didn't think I'd ever finish it, so I'm glad to finally be done. Hope you like it, and thank you to everyone who left comments and encouragement…it really means a lot! ;)

* * *

Chapter 19

* * *

The guilt ate at him, stronger even than usual. It curled around his mind like a venomous snake, just waiting for the right time to strike. Waiting for moments when he was weak and vulnerable and then attacking with a vengeance.

He knew, deep down, that his past wasn't entirely his fault, but that didn't stop him from feeling the weight of his sins. To be honest, most of his crimes had been done out of fear.

Even at those times when he was almost crippled by the power of the emotions whirling around him, Jasper had not wanted his existence to end. His survival instinct had been greater even than his desire to make the overwhelming feelings stop. And during a war, the feelings of horror and fear and pain were particularly prevalent; too numerous and strong to block out.

It had been maddening at times, to be around so many dark emotions. He had fought extremely hard every single day to keep those emotions from taking over his mind. He had known that if he let them, those emotions would have changed him into someone who he didn't want to be, someone who was as evil and soulless as vampires often were in the eyes of humans.

Jasper hadn't wanted to be like that, hadn't wanted to lose what small amount of humanity he had left. He had tried to feed only on people whose emotions were particularly dark, because that at least made him feel a bit better about his need to kill in order to survive. Killing a man who took joy in pain and death had seemed less evil somehow. It had been hard though, to control himself even that much.

Maria had changed him so that she would have someone to train her newborn army and kill the newborns when they were no longer strong enough to be of use to her. Jasper hadn't exactly liked the things she made him do, but there didn't seem to be a choice at the time. It was do as his maker said or be killed, and the latter wasn't an option for him.

With so many young vampires around, the bloodlust was even more uncontrollable. Instead of feeling only his own thirst, the thirst of so many others—of young vampires whose bloodlust was endless—clouded Jasper's mind so that he could barely tell when he was feeling his own need to feed and when it was another's.

It was hard to keep himself from completely losing control during those times. Hard enough that he sometimes failed completely, and ended up with the deaths of innocent people on his conscience. But the fact that he felt guilt and remorse for killing those people, had reassured him that he still had some good left inside him.

Jasper sometimes wondered if his empathic abilities hindered his ability to control his thirst, the emotions of others confusing his judgment, but he could never figure out if that was a valid excuse. He knew that Edward sometimes had difficulty controlling himself when his family's thoughts revolved around their need to feed, but Edward still was able to keep from attacking. Even after meeting Bella, with her overwhelmingly sweet-smelling blood, Edward had managed to control his urges, at least enough to run away from her until he could get used to her scent.

But Edward had also had longer to get used to the feelings that came along with denying the urge to consume human blood. Jasper wondered if there was any chance that it would get easier for him with time. It didn't seem likely, since so many years had already passed.

Jasper never felt truly satisfied by his meals, and sometimes it was difficult to deal with that. It was part of the reason it was so hard for him to resist his thirst for human blood. He just _knew_ that drinking from one little human would quench his thirst as it hadn't been in years.

The thought sickened him, but it was the truth. Sometimes he wished that he had never been brought into the Cullen family. If he hadn't, then he could have kept feeding on humans without the knowledge that there was a different way of doing things.

But Jasper knew that he wouldn't have been able to keep it up for long. The guilt and depression that had plagued him after every hunt would eventually have driven him to suicide, overwhelming even his desire to stay alive. It would have been easy enough to track down Maria—who would no doubt be enraged by his betrayal, his escape—and let her kill him. He knew she would have done it. Lucy and Nettie had been killed for their betrayals, and Jasper had no doubt that he would have suffered the same fate.

Jasper shook his head, trying to rid himself of those pointless thoughts. There was no use dwelling on them, as there was no way to change the past. He wasn't even sure he wanted to anymore, since he had more to live for now than he ever had before.

Jasper wasn't ready to love Seth, but he thought he could someday, which was a lot for him to admit—even to himself—right now. Seth was a lot like Alice in some ways, but he was also very different.

Alice had this childlike wonder in everything she did, and sometimes the things Seth said and did reminded him of her. But while Alice's behavior wasn't always genuine, sometimes masking her darker thoughts and emotions, Seth really did find the best in every situation.

Seth was completely pure, in all ways. To feel his emotions was a soothing balm for Jasper's dark soul. The constant happiness and light and excitement could cover even the darkest thoughts within Jasper's troubled mind.

It was during the times when thoughts of their differences plagued him that Jasper wondered if maybe there was a reason Seth had imprinted on him; a reason other than the apparent need to unite the vampires and the wolves. It was always said that opposites attract, and in their case, maybe it was true. Maybe their differences were the reason they would be good together.

Jasper had to admit that Seth's personality attracted him, the way the young wolf was so bright and bubbly right up until there was a need for seriousness, and then he effortlessly transitioned to fit the mood. He was undoubtedly intelligent, despite his particularly crude way of speaking, and Jasper would admit that he had been surprised—and secretly pleased—when Seth jumped at the chance to pick through Clarlisle's rather extensive library. The wolf also seemed to be extremely intuitive, based on the fact that the boy always knew when Jasper was overly troubled by something, which was more often than not these days.

On the other hand, Jasper had noticed that the young wolf was a bit overeager sometimes, which was something that could lead to trouble if Seth wasn't careful. His enthusiastic explanation for his fascination with Jasper was one such example. If Seth had had the misfortune of imprinting on Emmett and had just come out and admitted it, Rosalie probably would have attacked him with no hesitation or warning. Jasper was inexplicably glad that the young wolf hadn't found himself in that situation. And he found himself thinking that it was a good thing the young wolf would have Jasper at his side to calm his more reckless urges.

With that thought, Jasper stopped, only then looking around and realizing that he had been paying absolutely no attention to his surroundings. Where his feet were taking him hadn't seemed overly important in the face of his overwhelming guilt. Which he found wasn't so overwhelming anymore. Just thinking about the young wolf had pushed it away, which was just…_terrifying_.

It made him think of that time—just a little more than a week ago—when Jasper had wondered why he could control everyone's emotions but his own. At that time there hadn't been anyone who could make him feel better with just a thought. In fact, Jasper couldn't ever remember a time when just thinking of someone could calm his mind. And now Jasper realized; if he had control of everyone else's emotions, then Seth had control of his.

They barely knew each other, and Seth already was worming his way into Jasper's heart and mind and soul. He didn't understand how or why it was happening so quickly, but he could feel it just the same. Jasper might not be ready to be forming this attachment, but it was happening without his consent, and there was no way to stop it.

Not unless he left Forks and his family behind, but he couldn't do that. Not only would his absence hurt Seth, but Jasper wouldn't be able to keep up the vegetarian lifestyle without the support of his family, and he couldn't let himself even think of feeding on humans again. No, leaving was not an option, and Jasper wasn't sure he even _wanted_ to go anywhere. He would be better off staying in Forks, where he had the support he needed in order to deal with everything that was going on, namely Alice's absence in his life.

Jasper stopped when he got to a clearing, hesitant to continue walking lest he wind up in wolf territory. He didn't want to make things any worse for Jacob and Seth, and his chaotic emotions were obviously hindering his senses.

Making his way to a towering tree at the far edge of the clearing, Jasper sank gracefully down to the ground, his back resting against rough bark. He was there only a few moments before he caught the scent, but Jasper didn't move, just waited for the wolf to find him.

Seth had probably been following him this whole time, watching over Jasper at a time when he obviously wasn't capable of doing so himself. The fact that he hadn't noticed the wolf following him was in itself proof of how distracted he had been.

The wolf's light tawny coat was soon visible from between the dense trees, Seth dodging around the towering pines as he unhurriedly made his way toward where Jasper was seated. When the wolf reached him, Jasper was greeted with a friendly lick on the cheek, and he couldn't help but smile a little when Seth proceeded to nuzzle his neck before sinking to the ground and settling his huge head in Jasper's lap.

Apparently Seth didn't feel as much need to limit the physical contact when he was in wolf form, and Jasper had to admit that he didn't feel at all uncomfortable with Seth's nearness. He knew it would be different if Seth was in human form though, and Jasper was glad that the wolf seemed to realize that. Seth had never initiated physical contact with Jasper before, and the wolf was very careful not to do or say anything that he thought Jasper might not be comfortable with. Jasper again wondered at Seth's natural ability to sense these things.

Running his fingers through the soft fur just behind Seth's ears, Jasper was amazed when the wolf pushed his head into the touch, a contented sound rumbling up from his massive chest. Jasper still had a hard time believing that someone as special as Seth would imprint on him. How could this angelic creature have imprinted on Jasper when there were so many more deserving people in the world?

Jasper didn't know the answer to his questions, and there was no use trying to find them. What was done was done, and Jasper figured—if anything—Seth could at least help him to become the best vampire it was possible for him to be.

Looking down into Seth's solemn dark eyes, Jasper marveled at the very human emotion still visible within them. The young wolf was still very much able to understand and interact with humans, and Seth was making sure Jasper understood that.

The questions lingering within Seth's eyes made his presence clear. Jasper was being given a chance here. A chance to open up to someone with no chance of interruption—no questions, no comments—and get everything off his chest. Not even Alice knew everything that Jasper kept hidden deep within his mind, but it was obvious that Seth wanted to know. That he wanted to help.

Jasper opened up his mind, let Seth's emotions drift around him uninterrupted. He sensed no deception, not that he thought he would. Seth's dominant emotions seemed to be affection and compassion, with just a small amount of sadness and curiosity mixed in.

Seth wanted to help him, to share Jasper's burdens for no other reason than that he cared for him. If Jasper wasn't absolutely sure that sharing his past with Seth would make no difference in the wolf's opinion of him, he probably wouldn't even think of it. But the truth was, Jasper trusted Seth, and he _wanted_ the wolf to know these things about him, even though he was ashamed. His past was a part of his life, and if he and eth were ever to have a meaningful relationship, it would be necessary to tell the wolf everything.

It wouldn't be easy, but Jasper didn't have any doubts that it would be worth it. With his mind made up, Jasper started from the beginning, absently stroking his fingers through the wolf's velvety-soft fur.

"I became a vampire in 1863, while serving as a Major in the Confederate Army. I was twenty years old when I was changed by a vampire named Maria, mainly for the purpose of building an army of her own. She was in a battle for feeding territory, and Maria had no compunctions when it came to killing others for her own gain.

I was to train the vampires she turned and then dispose of them when they lost their newborn strength—you see, for a short time after being changed, a vampire's strength will surpass that of older vampires. Maria used their superior strength to her advantage, with no thought to how much damage so many young ones could do, or how much attention she drew to our kind.

To speak plainly, it was a bloodbath…"

xoxo

It was almost funny when, on the day Bella finally felt ready to talk to Edward again, he seemed completely oblivious to everything but his own thoughts. Most anyone else—except for his siblings, of course—probably wouldn't notice that he was acting strangely, but Bella knew him better than any of the other human students ever would.

She didn't think she had ever actually seen him lost to his thoughts. Such a thing wasn't exactly normal for vampires, seeing as how they had better than average senses. Based on previous observances of Edward's behavior, Bella was sure that in normal circumstances the vampire would have been able to keep track of several other people's thoughts—had he wanted to, that is—as well as his own. Which meant that his current subject matter must be particularly compelling.

Judging by the abnormally soft look in his eyes and the hint of a smile playing about his mouth, Bella guessed that he must be thinking of Jake. Any doubts Bella might have had about Edward's feelings for her best friend were obliterated with just one glimpse of that expression.

And as her eyes burned and her chest became uncomfortably tight, Bella had to admit to herself that she had never once witnessed a similar expression on Edward's face. He had never looked at her with half that amount of wonder and contentment. He had never allowed himself to become so entranced with thoughts of her that he completely zoned out in the middle of the school cafeteria, amidst hundreds of students whose presence he didn't even acknowledge.

Even Rosalie and Emmett, who sat on the other end of the table from Edward, didn't seem able to glean the least amount of attention from their brother. Emmett was smirking at him, obviously aware of the focus of Edward's thoughts, and making—what Bella guessed were—crude remarks that didn't seem to be penetrating the fog surrounding Edward's mind. Rosalie sat in a huff next to him, arms crossed over her chest, obviously not amused at her brother's daze or her husband's inattention to her. Rosalie never did like it when she wasn't the center of Emmett's attention.

Bella let out a rattling breath and tried to swallow around the lump in her throat. She wouldn't let herself cry; not now, when she was surrounded by so many people. Trying to distract herself, Bella turned her attention to Alice, whose sharp gaze was trained on her, and was immediately uncomfortable at the scrutiny.

She had noticed more and more lately that Alice seemed to have a fascination with watching her while she wasn't paying attention. It was strange, and unnerving, to be the focus of such an intense gaze. What she couldn't figure out was why her friend was acting this way. Was Alice worried that Bella would suddenly revert back to the behavior she had exhibited the first time Edward left her?

But that didn't seem likely, because Alice knew her feelings on the matter. Bella had decided that she wanted Jake and Edward to be happy, and she knew their happiness would be tainted if she descended into depression again. The certainty that they would blame themselves for Bella's pain gave her the push she needed in order to deal with her feelings instead of repressing them, as she had before. And Alice's insistence that she talk about her feelings instead of bottling them up helped her to cope with the hurt and sadness that came from knowing that the man she loved no longer wanted her.

And still, Alice was staring at her with golden eyes that seemed able to strip away all of Bella's defenses and dig deep down to the place where Bella kept all the feelings of inadequacy and self-deprecation that she didn't want her friend to see. Of course, Alice was aware that Bella had never thought herself deserving of Edward's love; that Bella saw herself as inconsequential in the face of Edward's intelligence and ethereal beauty.

Bella still couldn't understand why people seemed so fascinated by her. She was entirely average in her own mind. She might be okay to look at, but she wasn't beautiful by any means. And while she did pretty well in school, her grades weren't good enough to get her into some of the more prestigious colleges that she and Edward had discussed at some point in their relationship. At to that the fact that she was horribly clumsy and socially awkward and she really couldn't figure out what Edward and Jacob had ever seen in her. Or all those boys who had asked her to some dance or other, for that matter, but Bella figured that had been more about her being new and mysterious than anything else.

She sighed at herself in frustration, knowing that she had once again allowed thoughts of the past and her own shortcomings to distract her. Bella needed to focus on what was important, which at the moment was working up the courage to talk to Edward. A glance in his direction confirmed that he was still daydreaming—something that Bella wouldn't have even thought her ex capable of—and Emmett had finally given up on tormenting his brother and seemed to be trying to bring Rosalie out of her snit by dispensing compliments.

"You know you're never going to completely come to terms with this if you don't talk to him," Alice suddenly informed her, seemingly tired of Bella's internal debate. Her off and on scrutiny of Edward had to have been obvious.

Bella just looked at her friend, knowing she was right but _really_ not wanting to go over there while he was so obviously thinking of her replacement.

"He probably wouldn't even notice I was there," Bella mumbled, lowering her eyes to the barely eaten food on her plate. She picked up her fork, debating whether or not she could force more food down her throat, and grimaced at the thought. She wasn't hungry anyways.

She looked back up to find Alice's eyes narrowed in disapproval, her lips pursed together. The expression looked out of place on her friend's normally cheerful and animated face, and Bella just stared at her for a moment in bewilderment, wondering why Alice would be so upset at the comment.

"Bella," Alice said, her expression softening. "You have no idea how guilty Edward feels where you are concerned. He has been trying really hard to give you your space, to let you seek him out when you are ready, but it's difficult because he hates seeing you unhappy."

Bella frowned, again glancing at Edward. Now _she_ felt guilty for refusing to speak to Edward and Jake for so long. She didn't want them to feel guilty. It wasn't Jake's fault that he had imprinted, and it wasn't Edward's fault that his feelings had changed.

A cool hand on her arm brought her attention back to Alice, whose exasperation was plain. It was unlike Alice to be so…Bella didn't even know what to call it. But her friend didn't usually get irritated…with _anyone_, and again Bella wondered what was bothering her.

"No, Bella," Alice sighed. "There is no guilty party here. You had every right to take some time away from them to figure out your feelings, but I think you're ready to take the next step now. Don't you agree?"

Bella nodded her head absently, still thinking about what could be wrong with Alice. The obvious answer would be something to do with Jasper, but her friend was still being oddly tight-lipped whenever Bella asked why he wasn't in school. She knew that Alice was hiding something from her, and she didn't like it, especially since Bella apparently wasn't allowed to have secrets of her own. Alice was always able to make her spill in some way or other.

Resigned, Bella pushed her chair back, made herself stand up and head over to the Cullen table. Emmett had turned his attention to her, Rosalie not having succumbed to his charms, and was watching her approach with a strange combination of amusement and understanding swirling in his expressive eyes. She kept her eyes on him as she approached, the easy nature of the muscle-bound vampire calming her somewhat.

When she got to the table, Bella pulled out a chair, hesitantly sitting next to Edward. She watched as his nostrils twitched, as he visibly pulled himself out of his thoughts and turned surprised eyes her way. He didn't say anything, which Bella took to mean that he wanted her to take the lead, probably to make sure he didn't bring up something she wasn't ready to talk about.

"Hi," Bella said, and was immediately embarrassed at the way her voice came out all high and squeaky. She frowned.

Edward gave her a sad little smile. "Hello, Bella."

"So," Bella started, not really sure what she wanted to talk about now that she was actually talking to Edward. "Um…where has Jasper been?"

It really didn't have anything to do with why she had joined the Cullen table in the first place, but Bella had been wondering for a long time and Alice wouldn't tell her anything, so it seemed like a logical question.

"Alice didn't tell you?" He sounded surprised, like it was something Alice really should have told her, and she looked up to find Edward staring across the cafeteria, an elegant brow lifted. When Bella turned around to look at her friend, though, Alice was gone.

Brows furrowed, she turned back to look at her ex in confusion only to see that he didn't seem too sure of what was going on either.

He met her eyes, apologetic. "I'm sorry Bella, but this really isn't something I can tell you."

She huffed in frustration, slumping in her seat and folding her arms across her chest. "Why am I the only one who never knows what's going on?"

She could see the guilt clouding Edward's eyes, but she really hadn't meant to make him feel that way. "Well," he said. "When I kept things from you, it was usually because I thought I was protecting you, but…I'm really not sure why Alice is doing it."

Bella nodded, even more confused.

"She'll tell you when she's ready, Bella. It's not exactly something that is easy to explain. How is Charlie?" Bella figured the question was meant to distract her, and she had to admit that it was effective.

She couldn't help but smile a little as she informed him, "He really isn't fond of you right now, but he hasn't complained much since your absence has brought about more visits from Alice. I think he's just grateful that it's not the same as before."

Bella could tell Edward knew what she was referring to by the way he nodded solemnly, the guilt once again present in his eyes. She really wasn't doing a good job when it came to avoiding painful topics, and Edward was probably thinking that he deserved all the guilt she was making him feel. This conversation wasn't going as she had wanted it to, but at least they were talking. It was a step in the right direction.

Trying to lighten the mood, Bella changed the subject. "How are things going at the Cullen residence?"

Edward smirked, shooting a glance at his sister, who was _still_ ignoring Emmett's increasingly pathetic attempts to bring himself back into her good graces. His eyes were visibly sparkling though, so Bella figured he enjoyed the challenge she presented. He'd probably be generously rewarded for his efforts at some point.

"Rose isn't particularly thrilled that our home is being invaded by wolves," Edward answered, chuckling lowly when his sister glared at him. "But I'd say things are alright overall."

And yet again, Bella was confused. "What do you mean 'invaded by wolves'? Who else is staying with you?"

Edward's eyes widened slightly as he stared at her. "She didn't tell you _that_ either? What exactly have you been talking about if she doesn't inform you of anything that is happening at our house?"

Bella frowned, extremely unhappy with the way things were going here. She wasn't sure she even wanted to continue the conversation, afraid she would learn about more things that Alice was hiding from her. She was beginning to think she just didn't want to know.

"She mostly just makes me talk about my _feelings_," Bella answered, and she was sure Edward could tell how much she enjoyed _that_.

"Hmm…I'll talk to her," Edward assured her, although it didn't take away the hurt that came from knowing her friend was keeping things from her.

"Seth," he continued, answering her original question, "showed up about a week ago and decided he wasn't leaving until the pack allows Jake to go back, and his sister came along later that day with no intention of allowing her brother to stay at our home without protection."

"Seth and Leah Clearwater? _Leah Clearwater _is staying at your house?" Now _that_ was hard to believe.

"I am quite sure that the girl has yet to step foot _in_ our house; she decided she'd rather sleep outside," Edward replied. "Seth, though, doesn't seem to have any problem sharing space with vampires. Quite the opposite, in fact. He seems to be fascinated by our kind."

That wasn't exactly hard to believe. Either one. Leah was just a bitch about certain things, but then she kind of made up for it by being fiercely protective of her loved ones. Especially Seth, who had a tendency to be overly trusting and sometimes acted without thought. And Seth…well, he was a sweet kid, but again, overly trusting, acted without thought. He was lucky to have a sister who'd do anything to protect him.

Bella hesitated to ask her next questions, but she really wanted to know how her best friend was doing. He'd changed a lot since becoming a wolf, and Bella didn't know how the imprint may have affected him.

Finally, she found the courage to ask, but Bella figured her nervousness would be obvious from the way her hands were twisting together compulsively.

"How is Jake?" The question came out in nearly a whisper, Bella's throat burning at just the thought of her friend, who she hadn't seen or spoken to in two whole weeks.

Edward smiled gently, reaching for one of Bella's still twisting hands. She could hear the affection in the vampire's voice when he spoke, and Bella's heart constricted even as the thought of Jake and Edward's happiness together warmed her.

"He's much better now that Seth and Leah are with him," Edward said, and an apologetic glance in her direction warned Bella that she might not like what he was about to add. "For awhile there, he wasn't doing so well. He felt abandoned by his family and friends on the reservation, and the fact that his best friend wasn't there for him to talk to seemed to make things worse.

He doesn't blame you for keeping your distance," Edward continued earnestly, "and neither do I, but it hasn't been easy for him to deal with the intense emotions that go along with imprinting, especially since _I _am the one he imprinted on. He feels just as guilty for hurting you as I do, and we both know that he had no choice in the matter."

"There was no choice for you either, Edward," Bella replied immediately, knowing what the vampire was thinking. "You can't ignore your feelings, and I wouldn't want you to. I just want you to be happy."

Bella could tell that Edward's guilt had not magically disappeared with her words, but he let it go, and went on to tell her how Jasper and Jake had become good friends and how Esme was delighted to have more 'children' to take care of.

The conversation turned out to be much better than she had feared, and Bella decided that she would have to make a trip to the Cullen's house as soon as possible. She had to make Jake believe that she didn't blame him for anything that had happened.

xoxo

"…can't fucking believe they're gonna accept this sham of an imprint! Bet the stupid fucking leeches are just waiting for us to lower our guard so they can attack or some shit. Well, it's not gonna happen! At least not with me…"

Leah woke to the angry thoughts—obviously belonging to Paul—but it took her a few moments to work out what they meant. The elders must have finally gotten together and made a decision about Jake's and Seth's imprints. _Finally!_

She didn't know why they had waited so long to actually get together, but in her opinion, the amount of time they had put it off had been ridiculous. She understood that they were reluctant to accept vampires into the tribe, but the fact that two pack members had _imprinted_ on vampires should give the elders a clue that there was a good reason for it.

Jake and Seth shouldn't have been made to stay away from the pack for so long, especially since they had no control over their need for the vampires. They couldn't have just denied the fact that they had found their imprints and lived happily ever after in La Push. There would have been consequences. They both would have weakened as the days went by and they had no contact with the vampires.

Leah still wasn't fond of most of the Cullen's, but she had to admit that they weren't as bad as she had originally thought. Esme was one who Leah just couldn't hate, even if she tried. The woman was really sweet, and loved taking care of everyone around her, reminding Leah of her mother.

Even when Leah had refused everything she offered, Esme had still made sure clean clothing was left out on the porch steps every morning—untouched by any vampires, obviously with the intention of saving Leah from at least some of the smell—along with meals three times daily. Someone must have mentioned Leah's distaste for eating in wolf form.

Leah gracefully rose to her feet, loping further into the forest after carefully gathering the day's clothing between her teeth. She needed to let the Cullen's—and Jake and Seth, especially—know what was going on with the pack.

* * *

Please review! I would really appreciate your comments. ;) Oh, and based on a recent look-through of this story, I've pretty much decided that I'm going to go back and revise it once its finished. I'm not entirely happy with the way it's going so far. The changes probably won't be anything significant—like I'm not going to change the whole plot or anything—but I'll probably add some things and get rid of others. At the same time, I'll probably (hopefully) be working on the sequel I have planned for this story. I can't say for sure that it's going to happen, but I really want it to. I already have a bunch of things planned for it and I really want to follow through. Anyways...I just wanted to get that out there. Thanks to everyone for reading and all the wonderful reviews—and for sticking with the story even though my updates are few and far between—and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	20. Chapter 20

Title: Unexpected

Author: jwolf_11209

Pairings: Jacob/Edward, Alice/Bella, Jasper/Seth

Rating: MA

Warnings: M/M, F/F, mpreg, language

Disclaimer: The characters used in this story do not belong to me.

Chapter: 20

Summary: _I worry about her because she's my best friend, and she didn't deserve what Edward and I did to her, even if it wasn't intentional._

Author's Note: Here's hoping I'll be able to complete this story as I originally intended, despite the fact that it's going much more slowly than I thought it would. I can blame writer's block all I want, but lack of time and inclination play just as much a part in this delay as my inability to write this chapter in a way that's acceptable to me. Thank you all for your patience and support.

* * *

Chapter 20

* * *

Trees whipped past in his peripheral vision, the glossy coats of Seth and Leah flickering in and out to either side behind him. He was excited, but at the same time his nerves were twisting his stomach into knots. The fact that his imprint couldn't come with him only increased his anxiety. He knew from what Leah had overheard that the elders had come to a positive decision, but he couldn't help feeling that there was going to be a catch somewhere. That he wouldn't be entirely happy with the outcome of this meeting.

What if he and Seth were forced to return to the reservation and live there? Jake didn't think he could handle that after having lived in the same house as his imprint for so long. It was hard enough for him to go all day without seeing Edward while the vampire was at school. How could he possibly concentrate on his own school work while inside he was itching to be nearer to his imprint? It had been difficult enough to get the assignments done that he'd been given so far, and he knew from experience that the further apart he and Edward were, the more he yearned to be closer, to just see him already.

Forks High School was too far away from the reservation for him to be comfortable with the separation. He wasn't ready for that yet. Jake knew he wouldn't be able to deal with it. He'd heard from some of the others that the need to be so close lessened with time. It never completely went away, but it would get easier as they got more secure in their relationship.

And that was the problem. Jake didn't know how long it would take for that to happen for him. He still had days where he couldn't stop thinking about the possibility of Edward leaving him, whether it be for Bella or someone else. He didn't know why he couldn't just accept that Edward loved him and move on, but it was just a constant fear in the back of his mind.

He thought it might have something to do with the way Bella and Edward's relationship had ended. But Edward had taken the time to be sure his feelings were genuine this time, and Jake knew that. He was just so insecure that he didn't even know what to do with himself. It had to stop, because all this doubt just wasn't fair to Edward. The vampire was doing everything he could to make Jacob feel good about their relationship, and it wasn't Edward's fault that there was something holding Jake back.

That's what it was. Edward was putting as much time and energy into their relationship as he possibly could, and it still didn't seem to be enough. Jake always wanted more, and it just wasn't fair. Not to either of them. Jake had to find a way to fix this, or things could only get worse. Edward was his, and he had to find a way to accept that he was Edward's too.

He didn't like talking about his feelings, but Jake was starting to think that it was inevitable when it came to the type of relationship he and Edward were trying to develop. He just didn't know how to express himself most of the time. Edward was being patient with him. The vampire didn't seem to mind that it was taking so long for Jake to deal with things.

Edward didn't seem to have the same insecurities as Jake had, and Jake guessed that made sense in a way. The vampire knew how important imprints were to the Quileute wolves, had heard Jake talk about how it was for the others and heard Jake's constant internal monologue concerning Edward himself.

Jake supposed there was little room for doubt for Edward when he was constantly being assaulted by Jacob's thoughts about him, hearing the need and the love and the never-ending _closer-touch me-need you_ that went through Jake's mind no matter how close together or far apart they were.

Edward probably knew exactly how Jake felt just based on his thoughts that he couldn't manage to hide from the vampire no matter how hard he tried. And now that he thought about it that might not be such a bad thing considering the fact that Jake _really_ didn't like talking about his feelings. He would have to anyhow, because Edward deserved to hear it every once in a while, but it helped somewhat to know Edward would probably understand what Jake meant even if he couldn't find the right words.

And then there was his guilt on top of everything else. That at least was something he knew he and Edward shared. They both felt guilty as hell for abandoning Bella, for taking away any hope for a deep and lasting relationship with either of them. It wasn't fair to her that both the men she loved were now unavailable to her. Jake knew that if Bella never found someone else to love that he would blame himself for the rest of his days. He was sure it would be the same for Edward, maybe even worse since he had been the one in an actual romantic relationship with her.

During one of Jake's rare moments in Alice's company, she had told him that he needn't worry so much about Bella, and that his best friend would be taken care of soon. It was hard to take that advice, but somehow Jake had gotten the impression that Bella would have a new love interest in the near future, and that her relationship with this person would help her to forget the pain of his and Edward's betrayal. He hoped for Bella's sake that this person would love and cherish her forever as neither he nor Edward had been able to. She deserved all the happiness in the world, especially after wishing him and Edward their happiness with each other.

_Personally, I never understood why you would feel the need to worry so much about her in the first place._

The lovely commentary from Leah really wasn't unexpected. Seth made a snorting sound, and Jacob got the impression that he was amused, although the reason for that amusement wasn't entirely clear. Seth had learned a bit about shielding his thoughts, apparently. Jake could only assume the information had come from Jasper.

_I worry about her because she's my best friend, and she didn't deserve what Edward and I did to her, even if it wasn't intentional. I care about her, like you care about your friends and family. You can't honestly say that you wouldn't do anything in your power to keep those close to you happy, Leah, especially your brother._

Leah didn't say anything, and that was answer enough. The very proof of Leah's love for her brother was in her refusal to leave him behind at the Cullen's, even if she wasn't entirely comfortable there.

_Almost there._

Jake snapped back to attention, realizing he'd been relying on his instincts to lead him in the direction he was supposed to go. It wasn't unusual for him to get lost in his thoughts of Edward or his family these days, the emotional upheaval he constantly suffered completely absorbing him without his knowledge or consent.

He shook himself mentally, needing to be alert in order to prepare himself for the coming meeting between himself and what used to be his pack, as well as the elders. Although it wasn't likely due to Paul's apparent bad reaction to the news, Jake needed to be ready for anything, including the possibility that he was officially kicked out of the pack.

As much as it would hurt him, even that would be better than giving up Edward.

xoxo

The meeting place was a small clearing within the forest, unknown to the general Quileute population, but still accessible by gravel road if one knew where to look. Billy was the first to arrive other than Sue, who had generously agreed to give him a ride.

Graciously accepting Sue's help getting into his wheelchair from the high seat of her old Ford truck, Billy snuck a glance at the woman once again. Her face was drawn, tired, and he could see the worry in her eyes despite the fact the decision had already been made.

Billy thought that worry probably stemmed from the fact that her son would undoubtedly wish to stay where he was, rather than move back to La Push. Being his mother, it was ultimately her decision, but Billy knew she wouldn't want to upset her son or make things more difficult for him than they already were.

They didn't know all the details, or even more than a small amount of information, but Billy had gotten the impression that Seth thought he needed to be there for his imprint. Billy didn't know what kind of issues a vampire might have, or how serious they might be, but he trusted Seth's instincts. The kid was more intuitive than most boys his age, and had the kindest heart Billy had ever seen. He was the only one in their tribe who had based his opinion of the Cullen's on their actions, and not on their reputation. Not solely on the fact that they were vampires. And as much as Billy didn't want to admit it, to himself or anyone else, the young man was right. The Cullen family was not a threat to them, or anyone who didn't deserve their wrath.

Billy considered again how glad he was that this meeting was finally taking place. It had been put off far too long for his peace of mind. He had pushed and pushed for a date to be set, but someone or other always claimed to be busy, and many of the pack members worried that it was dangerous for them all to gather in one place at the same time. Billy couldn't deny that this was true, but his reasons differed from theirs.

He was more concerned about the rogue vampire that was apparently after Bella then the Cullen's taking advantage of their distraction. The mere thought of the Cullen's doing something, especially considering the purpose of this meeting, was ridiculous.

Sam and the two youngest wolves, Brady and Collin, were the next to arrive. Most of the pack was probably in the process of doing a last-minute perimeter check before the meeting started. If there was any sign of an unknown vampire, either they would have to continue this meeting without the majority of the wolves, or it would be delayed yet again.

And as much as Billy cared about the safety of his family, friends and the tribe, he would vote to continue the meeting. It was important that his son and Seth know they weren't being excommunicated from their pack or their families. He could only imagine how Jacob was feeling right now as he headed to a meeting that would decide his future.

Billy had no doubt about whom Jacob would choose if he was given an ultimatum. A wolf's imprint was his life; without the vampire, Jacob would deteriorate. Slowly and painfully. Billy knew this, and so did many of the others who had been involved in the decision involving his son. It hadn't stopped many of them from voting to force Jacob and Seth to come home and stay away from their imprints. As far as Billy was concerned, this was a lesson learned for all in their small community. He thought he'd done well in teaching his son not to judge others before knowing them, but his deep-seated distrust of vampires had transferred to his son as well as many of Jacob's pack members.

Some of the pack members had insisted that wolves could not possibly be mated to vampires, that fate would never be so cruel as to bring enemies together in that way. Billy knew what others would not believe, no matter how many times he said it. There was a reason that the Cullen's were being made a part of their tribe, and when the time came, the Quileutes would all be grateful to have the vampires on their side.

Soon the rest of the pack started ambling into the clearing, having stopped somewhere close-by to step into bits of clothing. Now they only waited on Jacob, Seth and Leah. Billy could already hear murmuring voices and see cautious glances being thrown all around the clearing. This didn't tell him anything he didn't already know. Many of the wolves expected the vampires to take advantage of the fact that the whole pack was in one place. Easy access.

Billy was relieved when Jacob finally appeared from between the towering pines. The wolves would only have become more edgy the longer they had to wait. He made a point of rolling his chair far enough to meet his son as he stepped into the clearing, extending his arms for a hug. There would be no doubt about Billy's feelings on this matter. He had made his decision and he wouldn't be changing his mind.

From the corner of his eye, Billy saw Sam standing tall and silent, his eyes betraying none of his thoughts. Billy suspected the pack's leader had withheld his true opinion about Jacob and Seth imprinting on vampires, but wouldn't call him on it. He didn't want to undermine Sam's leadership of the pack. If Sam had chosen not to tell his pack that the imprints were not a farce, then there had been a reason for doing so, and it was no business of his.

Standing on either side of Sam were Jared and Paul, whose feelings were plainly expressed on their faces. Jared was clearly suspicious and distrustful of the situation and Paul, as usual, was vibrating with anger.

It had been decided that since Billy's and Sue's opinions on the matter would be biased based on their relationships with Jacob and Seth, respectively, Old Quil would preside over this meeting. As the decision had been made already, Billy didn't see why it mattered who announced it, but there was no point in arguing.

Weathered as he was, Old Quil's voice carried to each and every member of their circle as he welcomed everyone and announced the purpose of their gathering. Although everyone present knew why they were here, it was the polite and proper way to begin.

He went on to explain that, while the Quileute tribe was still reluctant to trust the vampires, they believed there was a greater purpose to these matings. Jacob and Seth would be fully supported by their pack in pursuing relationships with their imprints. Whether they moved back into pack territory was ultimately a decision to be made within their families. If Seth and Jacob were to remain out of pack territory, a schedule would be made to include them in the protection detail.

Their imprints would, of course, be welcome on pack land, but it was suggested that the pack be warned in advance that the vampires would be on their land in order to avoid confrontation.

Finally, they were told that, should they remain with the Cullen's, Jake and Seth would be permitted to continue doing their schoolwork as they had been. Future education could be discussed at a later date.

Jacob had remained stoic throughout the meeting, but Billy could see the tension in his eyes and around his mouth. Seth stood right beside him, uncharacteristically serious, but Billy could see no sign of unease there. The boy was confident that this decision would be in their favor. The optimism wasn't entirely unexpected from him, as he'd always had a positive outlook.

As a few members of the pack stalked angrily away into the forest, others stayed behind to welcome Seth and Jacob back into the pack, giving them each a handshake or a pat on the back. Billy stayed back, waiting for the conversations to die down and others to leave. He had some things to discuss with his son, and he didn't want everyone listening in. Sue as well was waiting for some time alone with her children, and had agreed to wait to leave until he was ready.

This wasn't a conversation Billy wanted to have with his son, but others had insisted on it. Even though his son had chosen not to take his rightful place as Alpha of the pack, he still had responsibilities and they were about to become apparent.

xoxo

"You know I support your relationship with Edward. All I really want is for you to be happy. But to be honest, Jacob," his father told him, "The only thing about your relationship with the vampire that really bothers me is your inability to produce offspring."

Jake stared at his father, wide-eyed. He had never once thought about the implications of his taking a man for his mate. He was the true leader of the pack, and it would have been his children who made the strongest and most powerful future pack members. Many of his pack members as well as the elders probably considered it his responsibility to produce offspring with the wolf gene. But then, why had fate put him together with Edward? He could only guess that their coupling had a greater purpose than bringing about strong children.

Billy sighed. "You obviously haven't thought about this, and you really can't do anything to change it…" His father paused, giving Jake an uncharacteristically cautious look. He really didn't like that look. "Unless you and Edward agree to have a Quileute female artificially inseminated."

Jake's eyes widened even further; he could hardly even believe those words had just come out of his father's mouth. Artificially inseminate a female of the tribe? Billy had to know that was insane! If, as many of the elders thought, imprinting was mainly a way to bring together people with a greater chance of passing on the wolf gene to their children, then it didn't make sense to choose some random female and shoot her up with his sperm.

And even more importantly, what would they tell this girl who would be recruited to carry his children? What reason did they have for a surrogate mother that didn't involve the pack? No one was allowed to know about their shifting ability other than the elders and the imprints. Not even the parents of many of his pack members were allowed to know what went on in their children's lives. Billy's suggestion just didn't make any sense to him. The old man must have suffered a knock to the head to believe such a thing would work!

It wasn't fair to have some girl carry his children, because if he _did _have kids, Jake would want to raise them with Edward. He wouldn't want to share a child with some girl he didn't even know.

He finally met his father's eyes, seeing reluctance there, as if Billy hadn't even wanted to bring this up. Others had probably persuaded him to do this, which honestly made Jake feel a bit better about it all. It was probably the same people who were reluctant to accept the vampires as part of the pack. Maybe they figured Jake would change his mind about Edward once he had a baby with someone else. Like this was all some big fluke, and Jake would find his _real _imprint later on.

It was ridiculous to even consider such a thing. Jake couldn't imagine ever feeling this way for someone else. He wasn't going to suddenly meet some nice little Quileute girl and be like _oh, she's the one!_ It just wasn't going to happen, and his pack mates were going to have to get used to it.

Jake took a deep breath, pushing back the anger and hurt and resentment that came from thinking of his pack, remembering their abandonment. Their reluctant reacceptance of he and Seth did little to make him feel better about it.

"I'll talk to Edward about it," he finally said, but before Billy could reply, he continued. "But I honestly don't like the idea. I don't know if I could have a child with someone other than my imprint, it would just feel…_wrong._" So wrong.

Jacob was relieved when Billy just nodded, acceptance of Jake's decision easy to read on his heavily wrinkled face.

The truth was Jake didn't know if he wanted kids. He'd never really thought about it, and now it just didn't seem like a feasible possibility. He would talk to his imprint about it, but he honestly didn't think he would be able to have a child with someone else, even if he wasn't required to have sex with the girl to impregnate her.

xoxo

Lounging on his soft bed, wearing only a worn pair of cut-off sweats, Seth contemplated everything Jasper had told him. There was no doubt that the vampire had a dark past, and even less doubt that he suffered constant guilt because of it.

Seth couldn't condone some of the things his imprint had done, but he also wouldn't judge him for them. Jasper had been young, had known nothing but war, and had wanted nothing but to survive. He had done what he thought necessary at the time.

Just the fact that Jasper hadn't taken pleasure in his deeds was enough to convince Seth that he truly regretted taking part in Maria's plans. He hadn't had a choice; it was either do what his sire told him, or be killed for his betrayal.

The fact that Jasper had been good at training the newborn vampires didn't make any difference in Seth's mind. His leadership and training skills had been one of the reasons Maria had chosen to turn him in the first place. None of it was Jasper's fault, at least not directly. He had escaped when the opportunity arose, had done what he could to keep from murdering any more innocent people. And eventually, he had joined the Cullen's and—despite the struggle—attempted to adapt to their vegetarian way of life.

Jasper may feel inferior because of his difficulty with that way of life, but what he didn't seem to understand was that it was admirable for any vampire to live the way the Cullen's were. To refuse to feed from humans was going against a vampire's very nature, and Jasper was doing the best he could. Furthermore, Jasper had fed on humans for many years before joining Carlisle's family and their way of life, whereas Esme, Rosalie and Edward had taken up the vegetarian lifestyle not long after they were turned and stuck with it, for the most part.

Jasper's familiarity with human blood might have had a detrimental effect on his ability to refrain from consuming it. Seth thought this possibility the most likely, but he didn't really care either way. The fact that his imprint tried was good enough for him. Even if Jasper ended up killing a human in the future, Seth didn't think he'd be able to hold it against him. He knew Jasper would feel guilt and remorse for causing the death, and might even cut himself off from humans altogether. In fact, such a thing was likely if Jasper's continued absence from school was any indication.

At least his imprint wasn't spending so much time alone these days. He'd been talking to Seth more and more since his confession of his past and the guilt he suffered because of it. And he seemed less tense, if still not ready to be around humans.

Jasper had also been spending a lot of his time helping Seth and Jake catch up on their school work. It had come a bit later than expected—by mail, making Seth think that they couldn't find anyone willing to deliver it—and in a larger quantity because of that, but with the vampire's help they were completing the work at a surprisingly fast rate. It wasn't that either he or Jake weren't smart, but some of the work covered subjects that hadn't been discussed at all when they were still going to school, so Jasper's help was very welcome.

Leah had refused help, but that really didn't surprise Seth. She was still uncomfortable around the vampires, and she wouldn't need the help anyway. In fact, Seth wouldn't be surprised if she were already finished. It was at least something to do other than sit outside all day and nap periodically.

Seth hoped that his sister would come to accept the vampires eventually. He and Leah had always been really close, and he would be upset if she never came to visit him now that she was moving back to La Push. He didn't think he would have to worry about it though. Leah had always been there for him when he needed her, and he doubted that would change now.

His thoughts dissipated as the sweet scent of honeysuckle assaulted his senses, immediately bringing his attention to his imprint. Jasper didn't say anything, just crossed to the other side of the bed and sat down, adjusting his body until he was leaning up against the headboard with his legs splayed out on the mattress. His left hand came to rest upon Seth's bare abdomen, a seemingly casual touch that the vampire had started initiating soon after his confession about his past.

Seth didn't think it was a completely conscious gesture, just something he did to bring himself comfort. Jasper must have no idea that just that small amount of contact made Seth burn. It made him yearn to have his imprint above him, beneath him, _inside _him. And yet the vampire refused to touch him in any way that wasn't completely platonic.

Closing his eyes, Seth struggled to keep his breathing even, to keep from showing any signs of arousal. It took some effort, but Seth knew how to control his body when necessary. Just one more advantage that came from Seth's experiences with his wolf. Learning to control the change had led to other discoveries concerning his body and mind. He was still working on censoring his thoughts while in wolf form in order to spare his pack from the inanities of his mind. He thought it was going well.

Jasper was watching him. He could feel those gorgeous amber eyes on his face, Jasper caressing Seth's features with nothing more than his gaze. He kept his eyes shut, not wanting to interrupt Jasper's perusal, wanting the feeling of his imprint's eyes on him to last as long as he could draw it out. The vampire watched him often. Jasper may not realize that Seth noticed, but he would feel those eyes on him from a mile away. They focused on him as surely as a laser, pinpricks erupting all down his spine, making Seth struggle not to show his knowledge of Jasper's attention. If the vampire knew he'd noticed, it might stop, and Seth definitely didn't want that. If he couldn't have his imprint's touch, then he wanted whatever he could get.

Struggling with his body, unsure if he could keep control for much longer with those eyes stroking him so hotly, Seth opened his eyes, bringing Jasper's attention from the line of his collarbone back up to his face. No sign of arousal could be found in that fathomless gaze, but that didn't mean Jasper didn't feel it. He was even more adept at hiding his thoughts and emotions than Seth was, and more, he could convince others he was feeling something completely different than what he was, with very little effort. Seth didn't mind. He'd always been intuitive, and his senses always let him know when something wasn't right with his mate.

"Is everything alright?" Jasper asked, and _ohhh_ that voice was nearly as potent as Jasper's eyes. It turned his blood to molten lava, burning through his body until Seth feared he would set the bed aflame with his heat. Still, his face stayed blank, his body immobile, Seth trying so hard to keep Jasper from discovering what he could make Seth feel with as little as a fleeting touch or spoken word.

It was probably irrelevant, since Jasper could sense his emotions, but maybe if Seth just refused to acknowledge what his imprint made him feel, the vampire wouldn't become uncomfortable with their current relationship. Seth knew Jasper's reasons for limiting their relationship, and he could—reluctantly—agree with them. The fact that he was too young didn't make it any easier for him to keep from touching his imprint the way he wanted to. Only the prospect of Jasper withdrawing even further made Seth respect the vampire's limits.

He was a teenager, and along with the rapid changes to his body had come an almost insatiable libido. He'd taken to indulging in long runs in the morning—when he would find a quiet spot to take care of his needs—and long showers in the evening, where he would do the same, albeit much more quietly. There were ears everywhere in this house, but if anyone had heard him wanking in the shower, no one had said anything to him about it, for which he was grateful. He wasn't easily embarrassed, but that didn't mean he wanted to talk about sex with his imprint's family. That would just be weird.

Seth nodded in the affirmative, belatedly answering Jasper's question. "Just thinking," he said quietly.

Jasper's hand twitched, making Seth's abs clench with the feeling of his imprint's skin smoothing against his own. In his most private imaginings, the movement would indicate a desire to roll Seth over and do unmentionable things to him. In reality, Jasper most likely struggled to decide how to continue the conversation. The vampire didn't tend to use words unnecessarily.

"What about?" Jasper asked, apparently unable to contain his curiosity.

"You," Seth answered, unable to completely banish the awe and desire from his voice.

Jasper's eyes darkened, but it wasn't a sign of anything good. He'd taken Seth's admission the wrong way, and he obviously wasn't paying attention to what Seth was feeling at the moment.

"Are you disgusted by me, by the things I've done?" Jasper asked, his voice strangled despite his obvious effort to maintain his composure.

They'd not talked about the things Jasper had admitted to him, and now Seth kind of wished he had brought it up before now. He hadn't acted differently toward his imprint since his admission, so Seth had assumed Jasper would know there were no problems between them. Obviously, he had been wrong. You know what they say about assumptions.

Seth brought his hand up to the vampire's face, knowing he was breaking boundaries with the touch, but not caring in the face of Jasper's very real fear of rejection. They needed to maintain eye contact until Seth knew without a doubt that Jasper believed what he was told.

"You've done some bad things in your existence, Jasper" Seth began, and maybe it wasn't the best thing to start out with, but Seth couldn't deny the truth. "You know it and I know it, but you've felt remorse and tried to make yourself better. As much as you crave human blood and have difficulty resisting the allure, you haven't repeated your mistakes. So no, Jasper, I am not disgusted by you, and as long as you keep trying, I never will be."

Seth continued looking into Jasper's eyes, knowing the vampire would be able to see his sincerity. Seth would do anything to help his imprint, and it was important that Jasper know that.

"How can you forgive the things I've done?" Jasper asked, his anguish palpable. It made Seth want to wrap Jasper up in his arms and never let go. He would do it if he thought it would help the situation, but it would probably do just the opposite.

"You don't need my forgiveness, Jasper. The only person you need forgiveness from is yourself. You've been living with this guilt for years, and I think it's time you let it go. But I can't do it for you, Jasper, this is your decision," Seth said, finally dropping his hand from Jasper's face and letting the vampire's gaze drift away from his own.

His imprint had a lot of thinking to do, and Seth could give him as least that much space with which to do it. He settled on his back and closed his eyes as Jasper scooted down on the bed and turned to his side, studying Seth's face and bringing a hand to rest on Seth's chest. The hand started moving up and down, chest to stomach and back in a soothingly repetitive motion that soon had Seth drifting into restful sleep.

xoxo

Jake stared at Edward, finally—_finally—_beginning to understand just how far the vampire would go to make him happy, to make his family happy. He had honestly panicked at even the thought of bringing this up with his imprint, afraid that Edward might think Jake would have preferred a female mate if only for this very reason.

"You might not have considered this, Jacob," Edward said, seeming almost tentative, "but I've been thinking of almost nothing but ways to make you more secure in our relationship, ways to prove to you that I don't plan on going anywhere."

Everything Edward was saying seemed to go right back to what Jacob had been thinking about on his way to the meeting with his pack and the elders. His imprint was trying so hard, and it just wasn't fair that he had to put in so much effort to give Jake what he needed. Especially since Jake felt as if he wasn't giving back anything at all.

A hand on his chin brought his eyes back to Edward's, and he really shouldn't have been surprised that the vampire had heard everything he'd just thought. He should know better by now. Long, elegant fingers caressed his cheek, and Jake couldn't help but lean into the soft touch.

"Jake," the soft, honey-smooth voice admonished gently, "you have no idea how much you give me."

And Edward was right, Jake didn't know. But looking into his imprint's eyes now, he could see Edward's feelings so clearly. Love, first and foremost, but so many other things as well. Happiness, comfort, understanding, and a willingness to do whatever it took to make things work between them.

It felt so good to know, _to see_, how much Edward cared for him. Despite the knowledge that he might one day imprint on someone, Jake had never really believed that he would find someone to love him. Not in the way that he wanted, anyway. But now, here he was, in love with a vampire—the very creature he had once despised—and Edward loved him too. So much that he would do anything to make Jake happy.

But what about Edward's happiness? Would he really be okay with Jacob having a child with someone else, even if they used artificial insemination? Would his vampire accept the child as his own, or would he resent the fact that they couldn't have children together? Would the Cullen's be able to handle a human child being around all the time, or would the proximity bother them? These lines of thought brought out Jake's panic all over again.

Edward made a sound then, once again bringing Jake's attention back to him. He looked frustrated, obviously picking up on Jacob's thoughts again. Most people probably would have considered it an invasion of privacy, but Jake didn't feel that way. To have this constant connection with his imprint through his thoughts gave him comfort. He didn't have to express these thoughts and feelings that plagued him, just waited for Edward to sort them out and help when he could.

"Don't you get it, Jake? I only want to make you happy, and it's probably the same for you, right?"

Jacob nodded, realizing for the first time what their main problem was. Jake wanted Edward to be happy and Edward wanted Jake to be happy, so they just needed to come up with a solution that would make them both happy. So Jake had to ask.

"Do you want kids?"

Edward looked thoughtful, obviously not wanting to give an answer that wasn't completely truthful. But Jake figured it was mostly for show. If Edward had thought about this before, had decided to give Jacob children—in whatever way he could—then he obviously wouldn't _mind_ having kids, at the very least.

"I never really thought about it before we got together," Edward began. "Even when I was with Bella, I never even considered it a possibility. I guess that just proves how doomed our relationship really was. If I had really considered spending my life with her, I would have thought about the fact she might have wanted children, but I just didn't."

Jake could understand that. He knew that Edward had wished for a mate for years before he finally found someone he could see himself with. The fact that she hadn't been right for him made no difference. Most vampires probably wouldn't even contemplate having children due to the fact they weren't physically able to produce them. The same was probably true for Edward, until Jake came along with all his insecurities.

He knew that Esme had dealt with her inability to have children by taking care of whoever became a part of their family, though, so maybe other vampires satisfied their paternal or maternal urges by doing something similar.

Jake guessed it didn't matter, at least not right now. They could wait to make this decision until they were older and more prepared to consider the responsibility of children. His father and those who had coerced Billy into discussing the matter with him would just have to wait.

"If we ever do decide to have children, just know I wouldn't want to raise them with anyone other than you," Jake whispered, snaking his arms up to curl around Edward's neck.

Their eyes locked, and just like that all thoughts of children disappeared. Arousal zipped down his spine, that growling rumble that Edward so loved emerging from Jake's chest without his consent. Before Jake could even blink, Edward's body was pushing him into the mattress, his arms and legs pinned down, and then they were devouring each other.

When Edward's mouth finally found his, electricity shot through his entire body and his thoughts fled. He knew only sensation from that point on until their passion ascended into an explosion of ecstasy.

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